Unlocking opportunity by removing outdated barriers
Longmont has incredible people, problem-solvers, makers, helpers, and hard workers. But too often, outdated rules get in the way of progress. From property improvements to small business launches to creative housing options, people face too many forms, fees, delays, or flat-out bans on things that could genuinely help our community thrive. Let’s move toward a system that trusts residents, simplifies outdated regulations, and gives space for solutions that work, without sacrificing safety or community standards.
My goals:
- Legalize and encourage affordable housing alternatives like:
- Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
- Tiny homes and small lot housing
- Creative infill designs that maintain neighborhood character
- Create flexibility in zoning to allow things like:
- Urban farms and community gardens
- Live/work spaces for artists and tradespeople
- Home-based childcare and education programs
- Simplify permitting for home improvements, rentals, and small builds
- Review and sunset outdated ordinances
- Invite resident-led reform ideas, where residents and small builders can suggest changes
- Work with developers to come up with creative walkable solutions to affordability without pushing for density that doesn’t fit Longmont’s character
- Support neighborhood-based businesses like mobile mechanics, food startups, makerspaces, and shared retail
Why this matters:
This isn’t about letting developers run wild or about controlling how people live. It’s about trusting our community to innovate, adapt, and solve problems locally. Let’s slow large-scale development, open doors for grassroots solutions, and give new ideas room to breathe.
The vision:
A Longmont that clears the path through flexible policy and trust so residents can create what’s next. Let’s make this a place where working families can afford to live, build, grow food, start something new and be part of shaping the city’s future not just live in it.
Rules Worth Rethinking:
Here are some freedom-enhancing ideas that are nonpartisan, practical, and empowering:
- Mobile businesses (e.g. food trucks, mobile mechanics, pop-up clinics) who often face too much red tape
- Yard food production (like selling eggs or produce from a home garden) bolstering our cottage foods industry
- Allowing use of garage or shed space for small businesses
- Shared or co-housing arrangements that make housing more affordable for young people or the elderly
- Neighborhood tool libraries or skill-sharing setups
- Sustainable building materials or off-grid home design that may currently face code hurdles, along with sustainable solutions like composting toilets
- Adaptive reuse of vacant lots or storefronts for community or business ideas
- Shed size restrictions
- Home renovation permits
- Chicken Licenses
- Tiny Home Restrictions
- The Unavailability of Campsites
- Can you add any new ideas that may currently be blocked by regulation?
These are all regulatory unlocks that let people solve problems locally, without relying on big developers or extra city programs.