On May 16, 2025, Governor Jared Polis signed Executive Order D 2025 005 (“Order 005”) to address implementation of recently-passed strategic growth legislation. As discussed below, Governor Polis has ordered certain state agencies to consider whether municipalities are compliant with the requirements of seven laws when awarding millions of dollars of discretionary funding. Three days after
affordable housing
Denver Proposes to Eliminate All Minimum Vehicle Parking Requirements
The City of Denver (“Denver”) released the first draft of its proposed amendment to the Denver Zoning Code (“Zoning Code”) known as Modernizing Parking Requirements Text Amendment (“Text Amendment”), in which it proposes removing minimum vehicle parking requirements for all land uses throughout Denver. This Text Amendment comes as…
CDOT Swaps Widening Highways for Greener Public Transit Projects
More cars on the road means higher carbon emissions, and studies have found that more road actually results in more cars. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gases, Governor Polis passed a bill in 2021 that, in part, tied transportation funding approvals to agencies’ emissions targets. As a result, the Colorado Department of Transportation has…
Denver’s City Council Extends Deadline Requirements for Developers While New Denver Mayor Pledges to Push for Affordable Housing
As we originally reported in our June 2022 Otten Johnson Alert, in June of 2022 Denver’s City Council passed a number of amendments to the municipal and zoning codes in an effort to expand affordable housing in the City. Denver’s Expanded Housing Affordability policy (the “EHA Policy”) included a period of time under which existing development projects could continue through the approval process under the prior regulations. On May 22, 2023, Denver’s City Council passed two bills extending certain approval process deadlines. While the concept plan submission deadline remains unchanged (June 30, 2022), the site development plan (“SDP”) approval process dates for projects to be evaluated under the prior regulations have been adjusted as follows:
Continue Reading Denver’s City Council Extends Deadline Requirements for Developers While New Denver Mayor Pledges to Push for Affordable HousingColorado House Passes, Senate Considers Repeal of Rent Control Prohibition
February and March were active months for the Colorado House of Representatives with respect to attempted reforms of current landlord/tenant laws in Colorado. In addition to proposed major overhauls to Colorado statutory eviction procedures (House Bill 23-1171), on February 27th the House passed House Bill 23-1115, which proposes repealing the current statewide ban on local government rent control measures.
Under current state law, counties and municipalities are expressly prohibited from enacting any ordinance or resolution controlling rent on private residential property or individual private residential housing units (C.R.S. § 38-12-301). In addition to repealing that prohibition, HB 23-1115 proposes a conforming amendment placing specific requirements on future local government rent control measures.
Continue Reading Colorado House Passes, Senate Considers Repeal of Rent Control Prohibition