Growth And Development
Protect Arvada’s historic character while enhancing housing access
Arvada has a unique and vibrant character that draws people from all over. My wife and I knew we wanted to make Arvada our home after visiting Olde Town while searching for our first house. Despite both of us working full-time, we struggled to find a property we could afford. Finally, in 2014, we bought our first home in Arvada, but we felt we overpaid and worried about our financial stability. Fast forward to today, after having three kids, we've survived, but the affordability crisis has only worsened. Despite all the development activity over the last 10 years, our modest 1-bathroom home purchased in 2014 was half the cost of the cheapest property currently for sale in Arvada today. This is an unsustainable problem that requires leadership and policy changes to address.
Currently, there are around 50,000 households in Arvada, and over the past 30 years, we have grown by 1-1.2 percent annually. Our current population is roughly 125,000 people, and the anticipated carrying capacity for our city is capped at around 145,000 residents based on available land, water, and other resources. This suggests that we are unlikely to see more than approximately 8,000 new homes built in Arvada in the future. Let’s build more of what we need!
Challenges:
Development pressure and its impact on community character, traffic, and quality of life.
Affordability issues for service industry workers, tradespeople, first responders, and teachers.
The average home in Arvada now costs nearly $650,000, creating housing insecurity and increasing property tax assessments, affecting those on fixed incomes.
Solutions:
Sliding Scale for Fees: Implement a sliding scale for tap fees and other expenses that hinder home builders from bringing smaller footprint homes to market. Creating a policy environment attractive to developers for building missing middle housing.
Plan for Compatibility - 2026 Comprehensive Plan: A key part of what makes Arvada special is the right blend of open space, retail, established neighborhoods and industrial uses. Starting in 2025, the City of Arvada will begin a major overhaul of our Comprehensive Plan. Part of this effort will include public outreach, including workshops that will influence goals and policies for future development. On City Council I will advocate for the formation of a single committee comprised of neighborhood organizations. In this way, we can have equal neighborhood representation. There are dozens of involved neighborhood groups across the city, and we all know how challenging it can be for individual citizens to attend all outreach efforts. These neighborhood groups provide important access to understanding broad community concerns, and I would like to see more partnership with them to better serve all our residents.
Pre-approved ADU Plans: By providing pre-approved ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) plans, residents can save time and money. Interested homeowners with sufficient space can download plans from the city website, choose one that fits their lot configuration, and contact the listed prefabrication vendor to get started. While some may opt for a custom build, which could be as expensive as purchasing a small new home, others find the current process and costs prohibitive. This solution, successful in other cities, benefits the city, property owners, and people seeking more housing options.
Expedited Permitting: Expedite the permitting process for missing middle housing projects as an incentive for home builders. Currently, we mostly see apartments and large single-family home developments, this can be attributed to policy structures and permitting time frames. On the Arvada City Council, I will collaborate with fellow council members and staff to revise housing policies, facilitating developments that better meet our community's needs without diminishing development interest.