Transit-oriented development has added several buildings, with others under construction, near Lincoln Station in Lone Tree on March 18, 2024. Gov. Jared Polis’ massive and marquee land-use bill that would have reshaped zoning across the state, spurring a stalemate that preceded
In a nod to the politicking ahead, lawmakers, advocates and lobbyists involved in the discussions have struck an even, careful tone in recent days when describing their expectations for the bills. Officials on either side of the debate praised their opponents and spoke openly about working together to bridge disagreements.
The four remaining bills, which mostly would apply to Front Range cities, aren’t guaranteed to pass. All will almost certainly change.Lawmakers have now had a more than a year to consider the broader idea of state-led zoning reform and to work on building consensus. “It’s a better process, which I think is why you’ll see that we’re trying to work a little bit more on getting something passed — because we do want to see something passed with housing,” said Heather Stauffer, the legislative advocacy manager for the Colorado Municipal League. It represents cities and towns around the state and has opposed many of the reforms.
The state would offer tens of millions of dollars in tax credits and grants — while threatening to withhold millions more in tax money from local governments that don’t comply. “We went all the way up to the line that we felt was appropriate, where we were taking into consideration everybody’s viewpoints,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat. “But we refused to cross the line over into preemption, which was always a very clear principle for us from the very beginning.