Rather than approving one giant bill to address all of Colorado’s housing needs, state lawmakers are contemplating an approach that would look at those needs strictly from a local perspective.
Failed housing legislation last year took a holistic approach, proposing that nearly $16 million in state funding be appropriated to address everything from zoning and building code reforms to transit-oriented developments, among other things.
That legislation ultimately failed in the Colorado Senate. But now one of the legislature’s leaders, Steve Fenberg, president of the Senate, said a move is underway for a bill that will create a state board tasked with aiding local governments to assess their own housing needs.
“That’s something that is going to provide a roadmap for each individual community and region,” Fenberg recently remarked to the news service Colorado News Line, “to know what the need is, what the progress is in meeting that need, and what they need to do from a menu of options to get to the goal.”
In his State of the State address earlier this month, Colorado Governor Jared Polis proposed removing restrictions on the building of accessory dwelling units, tax credits for building high density housing projects near transit hubs, and an elimination of excessive construction liability in the building of new condominiums.
Colorado lawmakers, who will adjourn the spring 2024 session on May 8, will also soon be deciding on a proposal that will prohibit local governments from imposing laws restricting the number of people who may live together in one dwelling unit.
That legislation, HB24-1007, is currently being considered in the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee.
By Garry Boulard
