GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Long-term stays at hotels or motels in this upscale suburb will no longer be allowed, after city leaders approved an ordinance Monday limiting hotel visits to no more than 29 days.
The measure, which won’t take effect until Nov. 1, is necessary because hotels are not in residentially zoned areas of Greenwood Village and are not equipped to operate as long-term living facilities, the city claims.
That includes, the city says, potentially dangerous use of hot plates and cooking implements in rooms not wired or designed to handle such items. Extended-stay hotels would not be affected by the measure.
Critics of the ordinance say the policy unfairly targets working families who can’t always afford an apartment rental, especially if they are required to pay first and last months’ deposit up front.
“These are our citizens as well,” said Louise Boris, one of a couple of a residents who spoke out against the measure Monday. “They have been struggling to make it day by day.”
Resident Brent Neiser said the city’s measure could hurt economic activity in Greenwood Village by driving away companies that may see the policy as elitist. “Some might say it’s just a motel room, but these rooms are vital connection points,” he said. “It’s a platform for economic activity.”
The Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association, which opposes the ordinance, said it knows of no other measure like Greenwood Village’s anywhere else in the state.
The association’s CEO, Amie Mayhew, told The Denver Post last week that the ordinance could hamper the ability of laborers working on multi-month projects, like construction jobs, to find places to stay in the city.
Currently, only a handful of conventional motels in Greenwood Village provide long-term housing to guests. Dozens of families call the hotels home.
Councilman Gary Kramer said the ordinance “is not intended to be directed at families who stay at hotels but at hotel operators.”
The ordinance calls for a $499 daily fine for overstays, which mostly likely would be levied against the hotel operator but could be levied against the guest as well, according to language in the measure.
The ordinance contains a provision that would allow someone to stay in a hotel room for more than 29 days in a 60-day period if there is a contract between the hotel and a governmental agency or charitable organization to house families in crisis.
Kramer said the notion that Greenwood Village is attempting to kick out “downtrodden” families from motels in the city is dead wrong.
“That is exactly the opposite of our intent,” he said. “It’s my belief that this ordinance is designed to enhance public safety — that’s it.”
Mayor Ron Rakowsky said the Arapahoe County Housing and Community Development Services Division is working with Greenwood Village to see what might be done to help those who will have to leave the city’s hotels in November.
The hotel operator, according to the city, is responsible for moving out long-term residents on a voluntary basis. But because Colorado law gives tenancy rights to anyone residing at one location for 30 days or more, those who refuse to leave could face eviction.
