DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are considering a new bill supporters say will tackle the affordable housing shortage and move the state closer to its climate goals.
But the proposal faces opposition from local government leaders, who say the state is going too far and interfering in local zoning issues.
For Coloradans like Carla Harris, public transportation makes life as they know it possible.
“I'm on the bus all the time because I have no transportation other than the RTD system,” said Harris, a Denver resident.
Harris has mobility issues from an old accident.
“My knees are shot,” Harris said. “Both my knees are shot.”
She feels fortunate to live near transit stops.
But she knows others aren’t so lucky.
That’s why she is pushing for the passage of a House bill that could lead to more housing near transit stops.
“I think it would help out a lot of disabled people,” said Harris.
HB24-1313 would provide a financial reward to about 30 local communities along the Front Range that agree to build more affordable housing near transit.
Communities would need to submit goals, which must be approved by the state through the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
Affording to the fiscal note, which was prepared by the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff, DOLA may seek an injunction in district court requiring local governments to comply.
State Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said local communities would have “ample runaway” to meet their goals.
“It gives them the flexibility to determine how they are actually going to reach that goal,” said Jodeh.
But communities that don’t meet their goals would have their state highway funding withheld.
“They can always get it back as soon as they start doing the work that the bill requires,” said State Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, another prime sponsor of the bill.
Woodrow said local governments were not fans of state-level preemption that was proposed in a housing bill that was introduced last year.
After that measure failed, lawmakers reached out to local governments to help come up with a new plan.
Woodrow said local officials suggested they would be more open to the proposal if it was tied to funding.
However, the Colorado Municipal League, which represents about 270 cities and towns, still opposes the bill.
"When a carrot is big enough to be used as a stick, then it's not really an incentive,” said Kevin Bommer, the executive director of the Colorado Municipal League.
Bommer said local officials are already doing work to increase housing density in their communities.
He said the bill allows for too much state interference in local zoning issues.
"The problem is that it says you have to meet these goals or else,” said Bommer. “The goals are largely unattainable and are being cooked up by folks who don't do the work day-to-day."
Still, he's hopeful both sides can find some common ground as the bill makes its way through the legislature.
The bill’s supporters include Conservation Colorado and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
“It's not every day that an environmentalist gets to stand up and cheer for the same bill as the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce,” said Jessica Goad, the vice president of programs at Conservation Colorado. “The housing and the climate crises are intertwined.”
Carly West with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce said more people are leaving the state because they’re unable to find affordable housing.
“Housing is the top concern that we hear about from companies when we're talking with them about either growing their business here in Colorado or relocating to this state,” said West.
The proposal is part of a broader effort by Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers to increase housing density in Colorado.
During his State of the State address in January, the governor thanked the lawmakers who have been working on the bill.
The Transportation, Housing, and Local Government Committee in the House held a hearing on the bill Wednesday.
