City of Golden Zoning Code Update

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City Council approved Phase 2 (Commercial Zoning) on June 6, 2023
1st Reading, May 9 | 2nd Reading, June 6

May 9th City Council Packet link & Watch the May 9, 2023 Meeting Recording

June 6th City Council Packet link & Watch the June 6, 2023 Meeting Recording




Commercial Form Type Case Studies

Since zoning codes are best described as reference books, and do not offer gripping narratives for cover to cover reading, Planning staff advises readers to first look at the Form Zone Map to determine which area of town you are interested in researching in order to find the corresponding “form zone” that applies to a given property or block. Once the form zone is noted, just click on Chapter 18.29 and go to the form zone table, found near the beginning of the chapter in 18.29.01.004 (page 4). With this table, you can use the form zone column to find all of the different “form types” available to be used there and where they are located within the code. Think of the form zone table as an index for what is found in the rest of this Chapter regarding development options. The form types are the types of buildings that can be constructed, and each form type has it’s own specific zoning restrictions for factors such as height, design requirements and even square footage allowances.

In order to see how zoning works, illustrating how a form zone might play out in a real scenario is often the best way to assess how development or redevelopment might come to life in Golden. Staff has chosen three form types in three form zones to test these outcomes:

Main Street B-Main Street Urban Wide Form Type

See how the code could potentially redevelop the northwestern corner of Ford and 13th Streets:

Main Street A-Main Street Wide Form Type

See how the code could potentially redevelop the southwestern corner of Arapahoe and 12th Streets:

Neighborhood Corridor-Mixed Use Building

See how the code could potentially redevelop the southeastern corner of Ford and 22nd Streets:




Planning Commission Hearing: April 5, 2023 6:30 p.m.

Recommendation of Approval to City Council.

The Planning Commission packet and agenda is posted on the city website.

Watch the Planning Commission meeting




Phase 2 Zoning Code drafts (March 2023)

The focus of this Phase 2 update was adding the Commercial and Mixed Use Form Zones to Chapter 18.29. However, there are also updates to the Residential Form Zones in 18.29 based on staff and Planning Commission’s use of this new zoning code over the past year.

In addition, there were a number of other updates to the code that were needed in other Chapters of the code that are impacted by the changes made to Chapter 18.29. A significant update to Title 17 (Subdivisions) was made to modernize the language and allow for form zone subdivisions. There were also significant updates to Chapters 18.40 and 18.28 to both incorporate the new form zone regulations and to delineate the legacy use zones that were not included in the form zone approach (AG, CO, RE, M1, M2 and PUD). Additional Chapters were updated to align procedures, add or update definitions, and add applicability statements. The Parking and Loading Requirements (Chapter 18.36) were updated to house nearly all of the parking regulations in one place in order to improve usability.


General Zoning & Subdivision Code Update - Phase 3

Code Rewrite Phase 3: Staff and the City Attorney have identified the need for a clean-up and restructuring of other components of Title 18 (the land use code). Phase 3 is projected to include a new “procedures” chapter, and then major revisions to Chapter 18.28 (land uses), Chapter 18.36 (parking), Title 17 (subdivision ordinance) and Chapter 18.44 (nonconforming structures and uses). The expected completion date is the 4th quarter of 2023.


Residential Zoning Code-Approved May 24, 2022- Phase 1

Find all application materials on our Development Application Page. Want to check out projects in action? See the Planning Projects page for form zone site plans in process and approved.




Don't Zone Out, Zone In!

Still can’t find what you need? Contact Rick Muriby at rmuriby@cityofgolden.net.

City Council approved Phase 2 (Commercial Zoning) on June 6, 2023
1st Reading, May 9 | 2nd Reading, June 6

May 9th City Council Packet link & Watch the May 9, 2023 Meeting Recording

June 6th City Council Packet link & Watch the June 6, 2023 Meeting Recording




Commercial Form Type Case Studies

Since zoning codes are best described as reference books, and do not offer gripping narratives for cover to cover reading, Planning staff advises readers to first look at the Form Zone Map to determine which area of town you are interested in researching in order to find the corresponding “form zone” that applies to a given property or block. Once the form zone is noted, just click on Chapter 18.29 and go to the form zone table, found near the beginning of the chapter in 18.29.01.004 (page 4). With this table, you can use the form zone column to find all of the different “form types” available to be used there and where they are located within the code. Think of the form zone table as an index for what is found in the rest of this Chapter regarding development options. The form types are the types of buildings that can be constructed, and each form type has it’s own specific zoning restrictions for factors such as height, design requirements and even square footage allowances.

In order to see how zoning works, illustrating how a form zone might play out in a real scenario is often the best way to assess how development or redevelopment might come to life in Golden. Staff has chosen three form types in three form zones to test these outcomes:

Main Street B-Main Street Urban Wide Form Type

See how the code could potentially redevelop the northwestern corner of Ford and 13th Streets:

Main Street A-Main Street Wide Form Type

See how the code could potentially redevelop the southwestern corner of Arapahoe and 12th Streets:

Neighborhood Corridor-Mixed Use Building

See how the code could potentially redevelop the southeastern corner of Ford and 22nd Streets:




Planning Commission Hearing: April 5, 2023 6:30 p.m.

Recommendation of Approval to City Council.

The Planning Commission packet and agenda is posted on the city website.

Watch the Planning Commission meeting




Phase 2 Zoning Code drafts (March 2023)

The focus of this Phase 2 update was adding the Commercial and Mixed Use Form Zones to Chapter 18.29. However, there are also updates to the Residential Form Zones in 18.29 based on staff and Planning Commission’s use of this new zoning code over the past year.

In addition, there were a number of other updates to the code that were needed in other Chapters of the code that are impacted by the changes made to Chapter 18.29. A significant update to Title 17 (Subdivisions) was made to modernize the language and allow for form zone subdivisions. There were also significant updates to Chapters 18.40 and 18.28 to both incorporate the new form zone regulations and to delineate the legacy use zones that were not included in the form zone approach (AG, CO, RE, M1, M2 and PUD). Additional Chapters were updated to align procedures, add or update definitions, and add applicability statements. The Parking and Loading Requirements (Chapter 18.36) were updated to house nearly all of the parking regulations in one place in order to improve usability.


General Zoning & Subdivision Code Update - Phase 3

Code Rewrite Phase 3: Staff and the City Attorney have identified the need for a clean-up and restructuring of other components of Title 18 (the land use code). Phase 3 is projected to include a new “procedures” chapter, and then major revisions to Chapter 18.28 (land uses), Chapter 18.36 (parking), Title 17 (subdivision ordinance) and Chapter 18.44 (nonconforming structures and uses). The expected completion date is the 4th quarter of 2023.


Residential Zoning Code-Approved May 24, 2022- Phase 1

Find all application materials on our Development Application Page. Want to check out projects in action? See the Planning Projects page for form zone site plans in process and approved.




Don't Zone Out, Zone In!

Still can’t find what you need? Contact Rick Muriby at rmuriby@cityofgolden.net.

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Page last updated: 04 Aug 2023, 10:08 AM