Landmark Land Use Bill Fails in Colorado Legislature

Colorado Governor Jared Polis’s effort to allow for more housing construction by preempting local control of zoning failed to achieve the required level of political support in the state legislature.

2 minute read

May 11, 2023, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Colorado State Capitol Building

Nicholas Courtney / Shutterstock

SB 213, which would have preempted local control of zoning in communities all over the state of Colorado, has failed after failing to reach a consensus between competing versions in the state’s House and Senate.

The zoning reform movement has shifted to the Mountain Time Zone in 2023, with Colorado considering SB 213 almost simultaneously with the Montana Legislature’s approval of its own state preemption of single-family zoning. Where Montana succeeded by appealing to Anti-California bias, Colorado’s effort, championed by Gov. Jared Polis, faced widespread opposition at the local level.

The failure of SB 213 prompted a wave of media coverage after weeks of attention to the political back and forth over housing affordability, local control of land use regulations, and property rights in the Centennial State.

Planetizen shared news in in April that state senators had gutted the bill’s mandate to rescind single-family zoning in many of the cities in the state. The Colorado House of Representative earlier this month seemed to get the governor’s efforts to achieve statewide zoning reform back on track, however, by reinstating density requirements in the bill earlier this month.

The comeback was short-lived, however. According to an article by Nick Coltrain, the bill split Democratic legislators. “The bill started out as a mandate that cities and towns zone for greater residential density before it was pared back in the Senate to a task force. The measure was then partially resurrected in the House to increase the number of multifamily homes around bus and train stops in Colorado’s large cities,” explain Jesse Paul and Elliott Wenzer in a separate article for the Colorado Sun.

“The Colorado state legislature will hand Gov. Jared Polis a significant defeat on the final day of the legislative session, refusing to pass his landmark proposal to overhaul Colorado’s rules for housing development,” reports Andrew Kenney in the source article, linked below.

The hopes of statewide zoning in Colorado are not entirely dead, however. California’s efforts to accomplish similar reforms required numerous legislative sessions over the course of more than a decade to achieve a similar measure of success.

Monday, May 8, 2023 in CPR News

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Urban sidewalk shaded by large mature trees

Cool Walkability Planning

Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

June 1, 2023 - Todd Litman

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

"Welcome to Texas" road sign with Texas flag and "Drive Friendly - the Texas way" slogan

Report: Austin’s State Roads Deadlier Than City Roads

Traffic fatalities and serious injuries grew on state-owned roads in the Texas capital, even as city-owned streets saw death rates plateau.

1 minute ago - Smart Cities Dive

View from lakeside with green grass and pink blooming flowers

Who Benefits Most from Land Conservation Efforts?

A new study estimates that recent land conservation generated $9.8 billion in wealth nationally through the housing market and that wealthier and White households benefited disproportionately.

1 hour ago - PNAS

Close-up of black parking meter with blurred street in background

Richmond Repeals Parking Minimums, Encourages Off-Street Parking and Transit

The Virginia city is replete with underused off-street parking lots, which city councilors hope to make available for parking at more times while encouraging transit use.

2 hours ago - Next City

Project Manager III

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

UDO Transportation Planner

City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.