Requirements dramatically pared back in governor’s “land-use” bill

Public Notices

BY JESSE PAUL AND ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Gov. Jared Polis and Democrats in the Colorado legislature signi cantly pared back their major land-use bill amid big questions about whether their signature a ordable housing initiative at the Capitol this year can get enough support to pass.

Colorado’s largest cities would no longer be required to let multifamily housing with up to six units be built in all residentially zoned areas under a major amendment made to Senate Bill 213. Instead, those cities — like Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Englewood, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Pueblo, ornton and Westminster — would only have to let duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes be built in 30% of their land area currently zoned for singlefamily homes, concentrated around train and high-frequency bus corridors where applicable.

e change, which came in midApril, shifts the legislation away from attempting to broadly increase housing density to a more limited approach linked to transit. Without the changes, it appeared the bill, which has received major opposition from cities and towns across the state, would lack enough support to clear its rst committee.

In all, there were 17 amendments made to the bill, totaling dozens of pages. One of the major changes reduces land-use requirements on resort communities, like Aspen and Vail.

e Senate Local Government and Housing Committee approved the overhauled measure on a 4-3 vote, with all of the Democrats on the panel voting “yes” and all of the Republicans voting “no.” It was unclear whether the measure would have enough votes to advance and the committee hearing was delayed for hours while amendments were nalized and negotiated.

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, a Commerce City Democrat and prime sponsor of the bill, warned that more changes were needed. “By no means does the work stop here,” he said.

Heading into a committee hearing, Sen. Dylan Roberts, an Avon Democrat, appeared to be the swing vote on the committee. He cast a reluctant “yes” vote. “I still have concerns with where the bill is,” he said, adding that there will be “a lot more to do” to get him to back the bill once it is debated on the Senate oor.

But two other Democrats on the committee — Sens. Julie Gonzales of

Denver and Tony Exum of Colorado Springs — also expressed anxiety about the measure before voting to advance the legislation. e pair said more changes were needed.

“You will see more amendments coming,” Gonzales said.

An e ort by Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican on the committee to erase the measure and replace it with an alternative policy with no policy preemptions for local governments was rejected. “Senate bill 213, as it stands right now, … is never going to get us to a ordable housing,” she said. “All it’s going to do is preempt local governments.” e bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for approval before it can advance to the full Senate.

Under amendments, cities and towns would have to allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to be built in a half-mile radius around rail stations and a quarter-mile around corridors with bus-rapid-transit or where a bus stops every 15 minutes.

If a municipality doesn’t want to allow building of two, three or four units next to certain transit stops they could opt to zone for that kind of housing in a di erent part of their city or town proportional to the area around a transit stop that would have been a ected. In doing so, however, the municipality would have to take steps to prevent people living in those areas from being displaced and would be encouraged to focus the zoning around walkable areas. e cities that would be subject to the requirements include: Arvada,

At a minimum, Colorado’s largest cities would have to allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in 30% of the areas that are currently zoned for single-family homes. e requirement would also apply to large cities that don’t have train stops or bus rapid transit and bus routes with 15-minute frequencies, though they would be encouraged to prioritize their placement of denser residential zoned areas near transit.

Additionally, the amendments remove a provision preventing cities from mandating that new duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes around train stations and along bus routes with a lot of frequency be accompanied by parking. Instead, the change allows municipalities to require that a half a parking spot be built alongside each new housing unit.

Aurora, Boulder, Brighton, Broomeld, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Commerce City, Denver, Edgewater, Englewood, Erie, Federal Heights, Glendale, Golden, Greenwood Village, Lafayette, Lakewood, Littleton, Lochbuie, Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Northglenn, Parker, Sheridan, Superior, ornton, Westminster and Wheat Ridge.

Outside of the Denver metro area, Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Grand Junction and Pueblo would also fall under the mandates. e amendments would also require that cities with bus rapid transit zone for an average housing density of 25 units an acre in at least 25% of the housing-eligible land without a half-mile of stops. e requirement would be the same for within a quarter-mile of corridors with frequent bus routes. Cities with trains would have to zone for an average housing density of 40 units per acre in 50% of the housing-eligible land within a halfmile of stations.

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