Gov. Polis stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more a ordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.” at’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs.

People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.”

“ at means more tra c, lost time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said. Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for more and more Coloradans.” e governor’s assessment squares with the ndings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that a ects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks go to landlords. Young families can’t nd starter homes they can a ord. Retirees don’t see any attractive options for moving and downsizing, meaning their homes stay o the market, helping keep prices high.

“Just look west,” Polis said in his address. “In California, decades of poor planning has led to interruptions of drinking water and electricity for entire towns and cities, average home prices over $1 million in major cities and 16lane freeways” with “bumper-to-

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For Carl Christensen, a 61-year-old resident of Northglenn, there is. But it hasn’t always been that way.

“I used to fear for my life to get from my house down to where I can pick up the South Platte trail at 104th and Riverdale,” Christensen said.

Back in 2009, he started to incorporate biking into his daily commute. He used to ride his bike to the bus station, rack his bike on the bus, take it down to Union Station and ride the last mile to his o ce

Since 2010, he has made the 18mile ride from his home in Northglenn to the TIAA building downtown and champions the added bike lanes and trails that make it possible to do so.

He doesn’t ride for environmental reasons or to save on gas. In fact, he owns four vehicles. He rides because the trips make him feel good.

He says it’s healthy, too. Both mentally and physically.

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