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ARE COLORADO STATE LAWMAKERS OVERREACHING?

Governor Polis and local lawmakers are
at odds over housing density.

According to a KUNC, NPR News report on April 16, 2024 “The conflict between state and local control of housing policy is at the center of the debate over the governor’s approach, and his proposals have faced significant pushback from counties, municipalities and lawmakers who say they amount to state overreach.”  On July 1, 2025, the Governor’s first density mandate— H.B. 24-1152—will go into effect allowing the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) to be built in most neighborhoods in Colorado with no parking requirements and closer setbacks than those required for single family residential houses.  People, this is just the beginning.  Is this the future you want to see for Colorado?

DOES LITTLETON HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

Littleton struggling to remain a home-rule city
and preserve its small-town charm

We had a close call. At the end of 2024, Littleton City Council was prepared to vote in favor of ordinance 31-2024—a blanket density plan—until local residents came together and vehemently opposed it. However, after City Council completes the implementation of the state’s ADU density mandate on July 1, 2025, they have stated their top priority is to resume working on a revised density plan. Even though Littleton is a home-rule municipality (which means it has its own charter that defines its government, rather than letting the State dictate its course), Littleton City Council appears to be feeling the need to appease the State’s call for more density. So, we need your help to preserve the beauty and charm of Littleton and to help ensure we elect four Council members this November who will fight for the future of Littleton’s beauty and charm. We are just five years into Littleton’s 20 year master development plan–Envision Littleton–and we are nearly half way to the city’s 20-year goal of 6,500 new houses being built in just five years. Now the state wants to move the goal post and we need to let our City Council know we won’t stand for it.

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PR: LITTLETON SAYS NO TO CALI-RADO: HOMEOWNERS PREPARING TO FIGHT STATE OVERREACH

LITTLETON, CO — After successfully defeating a proposed citywide housing density mandate on January 7, Littleton homeowners are gearing up for a bigger battle—this time, against potential state-level intervention.

“If our city leaders won’t stand up for Littleton, we will,” said Tammy Whitney, President of Rooted in Littleton, a newly formed citizens’ group. “I love this city, and like many longtime residents, I don’t want to see Colorado turn into another California.”

Read the full press release here

Colorado’s big land-use bill, explained

Gov. Jared Polis and influential Democrats want to open up large swaths of Colorado’s cities to denser development and make fundamental changes to how growth happens in Colorado.

The bill, which is simply titled “Land Use,” is one of the longest pieces of legislation being debated at the capitol this year. We read through the 105-page draft and talked to experts.

Learn more at CPR.org

Local leaders oppose Polis housing bill for taking away local control

As Gov. Jared Polis works to find a solution to the lack of affordable and attainable housing in Colorado, local leaders are voicing concerns over the sweeping legislation proposed through the state Legislature known as SB23-213.

The bill would preempt a great deal of local control over land use by setting state mandates for greater housing density and reduced parking requirements.

Continue Reading at Colorado Community Media

A new Colorado law opens the doors wider for ADUs. Here’s what it does — and doesn’t do.

Colorado House Bill 24-1152, which Gov. Jared Polis signed in May, represents an important step forward in boosting the supply of affordable housing in the state’s population centers that need it most. The law, which goes into effect on June 30, 2025, makes it easier for most Colorado residents to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU, a.k.a. casita, in-law suite, or granny flat).

Continue Reading at Colorado Newsline

People in Colorado Springs have mixed feelings about the city’s proposed ADU ordinance

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 1152 into law this year, aiming to boost the supply of affordable housing by allowing homeowners of build Accessory Dwelling Units.

Continue Reading at KOAA.com

Denver‘s top elected officials oppose Polis administration’s ‘fundamentally flawed’ housing proposal

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver City Council President Jamie Torres on Wednesday broke their silence on the Polis administration’s land use plan, issuing a joint statement condemning Senate Bill 213 as a “fundamentally flawed” proposal that Denver’s municipal government opposes

Continue Reading at Colorado Politics

Gov. Polis’ plan to tackle the housing crisis sees some victories but an uncertain future

Governor Jared Polis’ wide-reaching plan to tackle Colorado’s housing affordability crisis cleared some major hurdles in the state legislature this week but faces an uncertain future nearly a year after lawmakers rejected a similar proposal.

“It’s about how we live as a people, as a state,” Polis said. “From the statewide picture, this is part of our work to make housing lower cost for people, and that includes allowing more housing to be built.”

Continue Reading at KUNC.org

A Colorado town defies the guv’s agenda

It was encouraging to see a Colorado municipality back off plans to push denser housing on its residents, as reported by The Gazette last week. The Littleton City Council wisely relented to public outcry.

The council’s decision to shelve plans for multifamily housing in some single-family neighborhoods in the historic, south-metro Denver community was a welcome development — particularly because of its broader implications.

For one thing, it reaffirmed the fundamental duty of local governments to be responsive to their citizens above all else. It’s what Thomas Jefferson meant about the government closest to the people serving the people best.

Continue Reading at The Gazette

How Density Impacts Community

The effectiveness of structure hardening is dependent on the potential fire exposure from neighboring structures, wildlands, and other fire sources. Fire hardening can be an effective mitigation method in certain spatial situations where structures are located far enough apart that exposures are moderated and fuel removal or displacement is not possible. Protecting a home from direct flame exposures can be difficult and expensive, and is likely ineffective for the highest exposures, such as from a burning neighboring home.

Continue Reading at NIST.gov
Press Release

Save Old Littleton Press Release

Littleton, Colorado – Littleton City Council shocked homeowners over the Holidays with plans that threaten the future of the single family detached home designation in its zoning regulations. The single-family home zoning could soon be replaced with new zoning aimed to significantly increase neighborhood density with duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes across the city.

“If this is approved, it will totally and forever change our city into something no one will recognize in a few years,” said Laura Gabriel, former Chair of Littleton Historic Preservation Board.

Read Full Press Release Here

Displacement Concerns Surround Residential Infill Project

Does it matter what the new infill looks like? How big or tall it is, whether it has yards of grass, concrete, or no yards at all? That all the trees are cut down to squeeze in the biggest box?

Many Portlanders would say “yes, it matters!”

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My View: Infill project will not benefit ordinary folks

Portland city planners want to redevelop Portland’s single-family home neighborhoods by rezoning them for multifamily quadplex construction. They call this citywide rezoning plan the Residential Infill Project. The City Council will vote on the RIP later this year.

Read Full Article Here

Missing Middle’s Biggest Mistakes

Daniel Parolek inspired a new movement for housing choice in 2010 when he coined the term  “Missing Middle Housing,” a transformative concept that highlights a time-proven and beloved way to provide more housing and more housing choices in sustainable, walkable places.

Parolek says: only one of every five cities and states are implementing missing middle correctly.

Read More at Livableraleigh.com

New MIT study suggests the Yimby narrative on housing is wrong

The Yimby narrative – that higher density in US cities will bring down housing prices – doesn’t work in real life, a dramatic new study from an MIT doctoral student suggests.

In fact, the study, released today, shows that – at least in Chicago, where author Yonah Freemark complied the data – upzoning for greater density leads to increased housing costs.

Read Full Article at 48Hills.org
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Demolitions, speculation—and maybe not that much new housing anyway

I heard a remarkable amount of actual honesty about the city’s housing crisis at the Land Use and Transportation Committee hearing today.

I don’t know that the end result will be a sane policy, but at least most of the supes and the city planners were direct about what a series of new rezoning proposals would mean, on the ground and in practice.

Read Full Article at 48Hills.org

City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly Says She Won’t Vote for An Upcoming Multiple-Unit Building Policy Without Added Tenant Protections

City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly says she won’t vote for a controversial zoning change next month without countermeasures to protect renters from eviction by developers seeking to build new units.

The policy the Portland City Council is considering is called the residential infill project. It would allow up to four units to be built on single-family lots.

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