YIMBY Fort Collins

In 1985, a lonely widow by the name of Blanche Devereaux posted an ad on the bulletin board of her local grocery store. She was looking for roommates. Her husband had passed away, and her five children had long since moved away. So Blanche made room in her home for another widow (Rose), a divorcée (Dorothy), and soon also Dorothy’s mother (Sophia). I’m speaking of course of the hit TV series The Golden Girls, which ran for seven seasons between 1985 and 1992. Many people remember it as a show about seniors “enjoying their golden years.” But the characters were middle-aged. They were empty nesters, mostly in their fifties. At the start of the series, Blanche Devereaux would have been just 47.

Here's the problem: The Golden Girls was filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles, but it purported to take place in Miami. Four unrelated women sharing a home in Miami would have been illegal under the local occupancy ordinance, even at the time. And yes, The Golden Girls' living arrangement would be illegal in Fort Collins today.

The Value of Co-op Living:

Fort Collins limits residential occupancy––regardless of the size of the home or the number of bedrooms––to three unrelated adults. There is no limit on the number of related adults who share a home. This is an effective ban on co-op housing. City council members have defended this policy many times over the years, in part by arguing that they have limited occupancy in the name of affordability. But this is simple: It makes no sense to ban co-op living in the name of affordability.

It defies evidence: rents and home values have soared since the city began enforcing the occupancy limit in 2005, and it also misses the point: living together is an opportunity to share costs, share household chores, and share facilities like kitchens and bathrooms. It builds community. Roughly 28% of Larimer County residents live alone, a situation that is especially common among our seniors. As our population ages, increasingly it’s not "U+2" anymore in Fort Collins. It’s just "U".

Many people value the independence of living alone, but for those who value a greater sense of community, co-op should be legal and encouraged–––not prohibited. Living arrangements like Golden Girls are becoming increasingly common. But it can only happen in Fort Collins if we change the law.

Occupancy Limits are Changing Nationally:

Increasingly, progressive cities across Colorado are doing just that. In 2021, Denver raised their occupancy limit to five unrelated adults. Boulder’s city council. Other states are doing the same thing, in May, the city of Nashville based on the number of bedrooms in a home (also up to a maximum of five adults). Austin has moved towards .