The Fleck Sisters Letter
I wanted to send out an email with regard to the conversation we had around density and affordable housing in our last advisory meeting. As someone who has spent time with both proponents and opponents of rezoning Littleton in order to allow for unchecked building of multifamily units throughout the city, I want to encourage the Next Gen Board to do its own research and be wary of the politicization happening around this issue.
Metro Denver has most unsold listings since ’11
Metro Denver’s housing market now has more unsold listings available than at any point since 2011, with 13,599 properties looking for a buyer at the end of May, according to a monthly update from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.
That is nearly 50% higher than the 9,159 listings available a year ago and 6.5 times the tight 2,075 listings available in May 2021, which marked a record low for that month.
Suburban Denver city, the latest flashpoint in Colorado’s housing affordability saga, feels squeezed by density pressures
It took Spencer Hanks nearly a decade to buy a house in Littleton.
About halfway through his search, he said, he thought he had landed a place near downtown. At the last minute, an out-of-state buyer came in with fistfuls of cash and dropped $50,000 above his offer. His dream home — so tantalizingly within reach — now belonged to someone else.
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.”
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.”
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.
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.
