Colorado Bill Would Legalize Housing ‘In God’s Backyard’

Colorado legislators will vote on a bill that would make it easier for religious institutions to build housing on land they own in a growing ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement, reports Brian Eason in The Colorado Sun.

The measure would apply to church land even if it’s not already zoned for residential uses. “House Bill 1169, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Andrew Boesenecker of Fort Collins, would go beyond just churches, allowing public schools and universities to build housing on their land as well. It allows for up to three stories, but churches could build even higher densities if neighboring buildings are already taller.”

The YIGBY movement first took hold in San Diego, which changed its laws to allow housing on church land in 2019, a move followed by the state of California, where a UC Berkeley study estimates 47,000 acres of vacant church land could be used for housing. In Colorado, advocates say there are at least 5,000 available acres in Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties alone.

While supporters praise the bill for its potential to create thousands of new housing units, some local governments resent the state’s push to regulate what has long been a local issue. “And, while the bill would allow churches to build housing on their land, it doesn’t require it to be affordable. That could create an incentive for for-profit developers to target land owned by churches to bypass zoning requirements, then build market rate units.”