BILL

all-time high and availability is at an all-time low.

“ is bill really does increase individual property rights,” Woodrow said. “If you are a property owner, you have the right to build an accessory dwelling unit and the government will not be able to prevent that. Some feel like we are taking away rights. We are adding to them. is bill will have some exibility, but it does set forth some minimum standards.”

Since the bill’s introduction, several Denver metro communities have passed resolutions to oppose the bill, including Westminster, Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Centennial. Other communities have said they may take similar votes.

At the center of the opposition is the plan for the state intervening in local development decisions, removing home rule authority. Home rule is a form or structure of governing de ned by the citizens of a municipality or county that allows for more control over matters of local signicance.

According to the proposed bill, municipalities will be required to submit land-use codes to the state. e state will review the proposed codes and if they are deemed insu cient, the state will impose its own codes.

Arapahoe County Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully said the bill takes a one-size- ts-all approach and it will not work for all Colorado com- has increased, of course. Between 1980 and 2021 — the most recent year for which nalized mortality data is available — 23,493 people were killed by gunshot wounds, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. e new analysis shows the state recorded 18.2 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, far exceeding any other year in that time span. e previous high was in 1981, at 16.3 deaths per 100,000 people. ese numbers include all deaths caused by rearms — homicides, suicides, accidents and incidents where the intent cannot be determined. ough still preliminary, the rearm-related death rate appears to have declined slightly in 2022. e state will likely have nal data on 2022 deaths next month, and it is possible that the preliminary gure — 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people — munities.

But more surprising is that the rearm-related death rate in 2021 was the highest since at least 1980.

Woodrow said he disagrees, that the bill allows communities to develop and plan growth, but they have to meet minimum standards to avoid state intervention. He stressed the bill has tiers to address all populations, including suburban, urban and mountain towns.

“It is not a one-size- ts all,” he said. “ is only goes into e ect if a community refuses to adopt the (minimum) required standards. e only time you are a ected is if you decided to ignore it.” e reason the state is taking steps to intervene in local control is because of the excessive use of “exclusionary zoning,” by some Colorado communities, Woodrow said.

Exclusionary zoning laws place restrictions on the types of homes that can be built in a neighborhood. Oftentimes, these laws prohibit multifamily homes and set limits on building heights.

Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, said SB23-213 is a misguided piece of legislation that does nothing more than declare war on single family home construction.

“It’s built on a faulty premise that everyone wants to live in high density housing,” she said.

Frizell said if the Democratic-led legislation wanted to adequately address the housing crisis, it would focus on the impact fees and permit fees that cities and towns are charging developers.

Pointing to Castle Rock as an example, Frizell said home prices have skyrocketed due to the costs home builders are having to pay local enti-

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com could rise as more deaths are ocially recorded. e reason we stop the analysis at 1980 is because that’s how far back CDPHE has data on rearm-speci c causes of death. e state does have data on suicides going back to 1940 and homicides back to 1970. But, because those numbers do not record whether a gun was involved in the deaths, they are not comparable to post-1980 numbers. is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For ties to build.

Gun deaths are increasing across most age groups in the state. e only age group where a trend is di cult to discern is for children from birth through age 9. Deaths in that age range can be few enough in a given year that CDPHE won’t release the actual numbers — it is common in health statistics for small numbers to be withheld for privacy reasons.

According to the fee sheet on the Town of Castle Rock website, a developer building a 2,000 square foot home can pay over $21,000 in impact fees, which includes a line item for parks and recreation, re protection, municipal facilities, police and transportation. at total does not include other required permit fees. e construction of a multifamily building is more than $17,000 per unit, according to the fee schedule.

In drafting the legislation, Moreno said the authors looked at what other states have done, speci cally naming California and Oregon, which have also implemented land-use codes.

Moreno said the steps taken by both the Democratic-led states would not t Colorado’s current and future needs.

“(SB23-213) is drafted to provided local options for municipalities to choose from,” he said. “ is sets goals and gives choices on how to meet those goals. It’s easy. If (municipalities) don’t then the state will step in. ere is a bit more choice than other states.”

In its early stages, Moreno said lawmakers have agreed not to immediately take votes on the proposed legislation, instead opting on April 6 to listening to debate, concerns and ideas.

Moreno said he has heard complaints that the bill does not address a ordability enough. e Adams County senator said amendments are likely as the bill moves through the process.

Moreno said the bill does address a ordability in the area of availabil-

TERESA ALEXIS Marketing Consultant Classified Sales talexis@coloradocommunitymedia.com more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media. ity. Moreno said it increases stock, which means added supply will drive down home prices. e median price for a condo was around $400,000 in February.

Following the mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee where six people were killed, the Douglas County GOP group wrote a letter to the Douglas County School Board calling for arming teachers. The idea was rejected by the board.

According to a monthly report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, the median price for a singlefamily home in February was around $600,000, a more than 5% decline from the month before.

As amendments for better language, and clarifying information on water and infeasibility are already on the table, Rep. Mark Baisley, a District 4 Republican, which covers parts of Douglas County, Fremont County and Je erson County said he is “pleasantly surprised” that both Democrats and Republicans have expressed opposition to the bill’s current language.

Even with possible amendments coming to the bill, Baisley said it still wouldn’t work because the entire bill lacks “humility” and the only way to x it is to redo it completely.

No matter what concessions are made in areas of a ordability and language, Baisley said at the core of the bill is taking away home rule, which likely will not be eliminated. e state intervening just means more government, more state oversight and less local control, Baisley said. at aspect alone makes the bill unlikely to ever be successful.

Woodrow said it is sweeping legislation and can take time, noting that success will be gauged in 10 or 12 months. Instead, he said this bill addresses current needs while allowing Colorado to grow in a more strategic way.

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