City Council rejects one affordable housing measure, approves another
Councilors voted to reduce off-street parking requirements for new developments, but refused to rezone a west side lot for rental construction. Both motions addressed barriers to affordable housing.
Two proposals aimed at increasing affordable housing in Laramie went before the city council this week. One was killed on second reading, while the other soared through its third and final reading.
A much debated proposal to rezone some lots in Laramie’s west side neighborhood was crushed in a 2-7 vote following lengthy deliberation at a previous meeting and some discussion Tuesday.
Original Ordinance 2032 would have allowed the owner of the lots in question to build more and smaller rental units — specifically 12 units, including six townhomes and six accessory dwelling units.
City staff argued the ordinance could further the council’s stated plans for affordable housing development.
“Those plans call for zoning amendments and code changes that help us start to combat our housing challenges within Laramie,” Associate Planner Matthew Cox said. “Zoning these properties is exactly what those plans call for.”
But residents of the west side neighborhood voiced their disapproval of the zone change, saying they did not want a dense rental property next door.
“We seem to get a lot better care out of owner occupancy than we do out of rentals,” Mark Gunnerson said.
Others accused the planning office — which brought the proposal to council — of not being neutral. Members of the planning office owned that accusation, saying their job was not to be neutral but to bring forward plans that advance the goals of the elected council members.
Mayor Paul Weaver elaborated on this point, saying the role of the planning office should not dissuade residents from expressing their opinions.
“The staff bring us suggestions that are in line with overall goals we’ve adopted,” Weaver said. “Where the rubber meets the road is where we enter these challenging conversations, when staff is seeking to bring us proposals that fit into these large overall goals. But sometimes the concerns of individual neighborhoods and residents don’t fit within the framework for the overall goals or project.”
Hearing both city staff recommendations and public feedback on those recommendations, the council will sometimes decide to reject the proposal — which is indeed what happened Tuesday with the recommended zone change.
Councilors Fred Schmechel and Bryan Shuster were the only council members to support the zoning change in the 2-7 vote that killed it.
Another motion aimed at encouraging affordable housing, Original Ordinance 2031 passed its third reading Tuesday. The ordinance reduces the number of off-street parking spaces required for new developments with two or more residential units. It does not impact single family housing units.
“Simply put, parking competes with leasable space,” states the ordinance cover sheet. “The more parking required, the fewer units a site can accommodate, and a developer can build. As a result, the developer must charge more rent per unit to make the project financially feasible. These parking changes are one component of the overall approach that the City is taking to improve housing affordability.”
Two commenters spoke against the off-street parking standards, but the city council voted to approve the ordinance on a 6-2 vote. Vice Mayor Jayne Pearce and Councilor Sharon Cumbie voted against, while Mayor Weaver was absent.