Littleton voters Tuesday night approved a ballot measure enshrining single-family zoning in the city’s charter, effectively blocking local officials from allowing denser forms of housing across most of the southern Denver suburb.
The measure’s passage represents a setback for housing advocates and local leaders, who said the charter amendment would upend the city’s plans to tackle the affordability crisis, undoing years of community planning efforts to increase the supply of housing.
Ballot Question 3A was favored by 55% of voters as of 7:28 a.m. Wednesday.
Rooted in Littleton, the group that led the campaign to pass 3A, thanked supporters in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
“We did it!” the post read in part. “Littleton’s beauty, small-town charm, and single-family neighborhoods are worth protecting, and together, we’ve shown what a community can accomplish.”
The charter amendment — and a slate of mayoral and council races that also appeared on Tuesday’s ballot — were seen as a referendum on the city’s housing policies, which in recent years have sought to make it easier to build homes at more affordable prices. But local homeowners pushed back in force, complaining at City Council meetings that the pace of growth threatened the community’s small-town charm.
Variations of the same fight played out in communities across the state this election, with opponents of growth pushing for new restrictions on housing, even as local leaders try to increase the supply of affordable homes.
In Littleton, the dispute came to a head earlier this year, when the council attempted to allow duplexes and small townhome projects in single-family neighborhoods. In response, Rooted in Littleton launched the campaign to amend the city charter, which will take away the council’s ability to change the single-family zoning code without voter approval.
The amendment puts the city out of compliance with state law, rolling back a local ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units, or granny flats, in single-family neighborhoods. It also could make it difficult for Littleton to meet the state’s new requirements for housing density near transit.
Mayor Kyle Schlachter and most of the City Council opposed the charter amendment, arguing that it would put the city at risk of being sued by the state. This year Gov. Jared Polis also signed an executive order attempting to steer state grant dollars away from communities that don’t comply with the state’s housing rules.
Schlachter was headed toward reelection Wednesday with 57% of the vote, leading Councilman Patrick Driscoll, who was aligned with Rooted in Littleton. Among the council candidates who supported the charter amendment, none were leading as of Wednesday morning.
Other housing elections
Littleton wasn’t the only place where housing took center stage on election night, as voters grapple with how to address the state’s cost of living crisis and manage growth.
In Louisville, voters overwhelmingly rejected a pair of measures that would have simultaneously required developers to build more affordable housing, while driving up the cost of construction through higher impact fees.
The measures were widely opposed by city leaders, business groups and housing advocates, including Habitat for Humanity, who said they would prevent affordable housing from being built at all, contrary to the stated goals of supporters.
Ballot Question 300 would have prohibited rezoning three local properties for residential development unless developers agreed to make 30% of the units there affordable for low-income renters. As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, 79% of voters opposed it.
Ballot Question 301 would have imposed impact fees on an array of new developments, including affordable housing projects. Voters overwhelmingly opposed it in early returns, with 77% against.
In Estes Park, voters appeared split Tuesday night over two measures brought by critics of new development.
The first, Ballot Question 300, would give nearby property owners a veto over proposed rezonings and new planned subdivisions in their area. It led with 54% of votes in favor as of 11:49 p.m.
The second, Ballot Question 301, would have repealed a local ordinance that provides incentives for developers to build attainable and workforce housing. It appeared headed for defeat with 59% opposed late Tuesday evening.