Colorado's 2001 "construction defects" law has nearly killed condo production in the state, erasing first-time homeownership opportunities for an estimated 43,000 households today. Maiker Housing Partners CEO Peter LiFari lays out the data:
Remember starter homes? Whether or not you recall a time when smaller homes at lower prices were a real option, read our latest blog article to learn how Colorado can bring them back. 🏠️ ⬇️ 💲
Lakewood's special election results are in, but are the results representative? In our newest blog post, we explore whose interests are represented in special elections, what local versus state legislation can do, and what we can learn from this rollback.
"This separation of uses led to the unique phenomenon of American suburban sprawl, requiring the automobile to get around as the areas for life’s functions spread further apart. It also locked in the hegemony of the single-family home, at the expense of more affordable multifamily housing."
"Most conversations about exclusionary zoning focus on how it blocks low-income residents from sought-after communities...I show it can both lock people out of opportunity and put additional strain on already high-poverty communities next door."
Last year, we wrote about Portland, OR, as a case study illustrating why Lakewood, CO, should adopt "missing-middle housing" zoning reforms. WaPo tells the same story here:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Supply-side solutions increase affordability! We just need grow strategically: making sure homes are built in areas with pre-existing infrastructure to preserve open land, reduce driving, and save money for cities and households.
In just two years, state data shows Prop 123 has helped Colorado invest nearly $502 million to finance 10,377 homes and support 87,603 households. The legislature should not sacrifice it in our budget crunch.
Congrats to the 15 projects awarded a total of $1.4 million through DOLA's Housing Planning Grant Program! This supports compliance with SB24-174 -- incl. housing needs assessments and action plans, and strategic growth and water supply elements of comp plans.
cdola.colorado.gov/press-releas...
A new report from the Pikes Peak Housing Network shows some positive signs in Colorado Springs' housing market, but leaders warn of a growing gap between income-restricted affordable vs market-rate housing: the "missing middle." Building smaller homes on smaller lots is the answer!
Longmont will use its $4 million in pilot TOCI grant funds for a transit hub featuring 10 bus bays, 40 bike and scooter parking spots, mixed-use commercial space, and up to 300 homes. Congratulations to Longmont and the other pilot grant recipients: Denver, Fort Collins, and Wheat Ridge!
The city of Grand Junction has been expanding attainable housing through accessory dwelling unit (ADU) programs, and it has resulted in a 130% production increase in just two years!
Thanks to the recent apartment construction boom in Denver, rents are going down -- and incentives for new tenants are going up! Building more homes reduces housing costs for EVERYONE in a given city. Glad it's happening here!
Thornton is transforming an abandoned strip mall. Ideally the new development will include plenty of housing mixed with small stores, restaurants, and green space! Kudos to City Council for acknowledging gentrification and displacement concerns -- we'll be watching to see how those are addressed.
Congratulations to Hayden for its $75k Housing Needs Assessment grant from DOLA! HNAs are essential to establish how much housing a community needs today and will need in the coming years.
Housing's first big victory of this year's session in the Colorado state legislature: the HOME Act! Thanks to this new law, qualified nonprofits and schools will be able to build attainable housing on their land. Read the press release to learn more!
Awesome illustrations of how zoning reform can build better residential blocks: www.archpaper.com/2024/03/zoni...
... and the next round of grant applications is open March 2-30! dlg.colorado.gov/housing-plan...
Congratulations to Archuleta County / Pagosa Springs and City of Fruita for being the first in Colorado to submit an approved Housing Needs Assessment and Housing Action Plan, respectively! 🥳👏 SB24-174 helps municipalities assess and plan for local housing needs, including through state grants...
New report finds that Colorado has only 27 affordable and available rental homes per 100 extremely low income renter households: nlihc.org/gap
UCLA research found that, across 17 cities, the 2025 construction cost for new parking was on average $73,000 *per space* underground, and $52,000 *per space* aboveground. That adds $50,000 to $100,000 in costs per home! la.streetsblog.org/2026/03/02/n...
A new report by Georgetown Law claims that building new housing doesn’t help low-income renters. But the study's flaws explain why its findings run counter to 3 other recent studies on the same issue. Learn more:
(3/3) "... and can balloon the cost of building to crippling levels."
We advocate for zoning reforms that *allow* these types of homes to be constructed, AND for sensical safety regulations that *enable* them to be constructed.
Shoutout to Vox for making "building codes" interesting:
(2/) "Anything larger than a duplex is regulated under building codes as a commercial building rather than a residential one, even though apartments are obviously residences. That saddles multifamily homes with costly construction requirements that housing advocates argue are not evidence-based..."
(1/) Multifamily residential buildings -- triplexes, fourplexes, and small apartment buildings -- would be the most economically efficient types of homes if they were allowed to be. But even after they're (re-)legalized, burdensome regulations drive up their costs.
HB24-1152 is working: A Colorado Springs builder says he's received 50% more inquiries about ADUs since the city updated its ordinance to align with state law encouraging ADU construction.
Huge kudos to Denver, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Wheat Ridge for being the first to receive Transit Oriented Communities Infrastructure Grants!
