1-minute voter guide: Denver ballot measure 2F on group living
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A high-profile, yearslong debate around Denver's group living policy is now directly in the hands of the city's voters.
Ballot measure 2F asks voters to repeal a rule the city passed in February that made it legal for up to five unrelated adults to live together, instead of just two.
- The group living amendment allowed residential care facilities like halfway houses to operate in more parts of Denver — a particular pain point for opponents.
What it means: If voters approve 2F on Nov. 2, it will once again be illegal for three or more unrelated people to share a home in Denver.
- Locations for homeless shelters and community corrections facilities also would be restricted to industrial areas instead of commercial and mixed-use corridors as the current amendment allows.
State of play: 2F proponents, including groups Safe and Sound Denver and Defend Colorado, say the amendment endangers kids by eliminating the 1,500-foot buffer zones between halfway houses and schools.
- They also argue the amendment would "change Denver for the worse" and introduce parking, congestion and traffic issues.
The other side: 2F's primary opposition group, Keep Denver Housed, says the amendment is needed to combat the city's soaring home prices and expand housing options for people experiencing homelessness.
- Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, nearly all 13 city council members, affordable housing advocates and homeless service providers oppose the measure.
The bottom line: For years now, people lived together in excess of the limit. The February ordinance made it legal.