Proposed Update
The proposed update would change Greeley code to allow a number of unrelated adults to live in a house based on the property’s zone and the house’s number of bedrooms as a part of this proposed new language:
Family shall mean a group living together as a single household comprised of any number of persons who are interrelated by blood, marriage, civil union, adoption, or other legal custodial relationship, plus a number of unrelated adults per the
chart below. The number of household occupants must also be compliant with the International Property Maintenance Code.
| Zoning Districts | Number of Bedrooms in Dwelling Unit | Number of Allowed Unrelated Adults* |
|---|
| R-E, R-L, R-MH | Any number | 1 |
| R-M | Efficiency or 1 bedroom | 1 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | 4 |
| All other zoning districts | Any number | Any number |
*Plus any number of persons related to the allowed unrelated adult(s) by blood, adoption, guardianship, or other legal custodial relationship
The existing rules allow a house to be occupied by either an individual, any number of related adults, or two unrelated adults plus their blood, adopted, guardian, and custodial relatives in the R-E (Residential Estate), R-L (Residential Low Density), R-MH (Residential Mobile Home Community), and R-M (Residential Medium Density) zoning districts. All other zones allow any number of unrelated adults to share housing, and that is not proposed to change.
City officials use residential zoning districts as a tool to plan development to make efficient use of public infrastructure, ensure that residents have adequate services, and establish and maintain neighborhood character. To find out a Greeley property’s zoning, contact the Planning Division at planning@greeleygov.com.
The proposed update came up as one of many action items to help address the community’s housing needs outlined in the Strategic Housing Plan. Greeley City Council adopted that plan in 2019 as a response to increasing housing costs, limited housing supply, and emerging demographic trends. Greeley’s Strategic Housing Plan is a sub-element of the Imagine Greeley Comprehensive Plan and identifies key challenges in Greeley’s housing market while outlining strategies to address housing affordability and supply.
Adjusting household occupancy standards could give households that include unrelated residents access to more Greeley neighborhoods with additional varieties of style, different price points, and added locations.