Several Colorado municipalities have sued the state challenging the constitutionality of landmark zoning reforms enacted in 2024. The lawsuit specifically concerns two new laws passed by the legislature and one executive order issued by Governor Polis related to those measures. The first law, HB 24-1313, is aimed at increasing housing density around transit. Under
housing
Governor and Municipalities in Dispute over Implementation of Strategic Growth Legislation
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…
Prospective Impacts of President Trump’s Tariffs on the Real Estate Market
On March 4th, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, the United States’ two largest trading partners. Two days later, those tariffs were largely lifted as President Trump signed separate executive orders granting relief to goods from Mexico and Canada covered by the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (an…
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…
The City of Denver Identifies Office Buildings in Downtown Denver that could be Ideal Candidates for Adaptive Reuse
In our December 2022 Otten Johnson Alert, we reported that the City of Denver planned to evaluate buildings in the downtown area that might be suitable for converting potentially underused office space to much needed residential space. The City recently completed its study, identifying a total of twenty-two buildings that it considered good…