Senate Approves Moreno’s Bill to Link Housing, Transportation and Land Use
Moreno: “We’ve got to do more to address this crisis, and this bill represents an important step that will help us prioritize smart growth, gather badly-needed data, and meet our housing goals”
DENVER, CO – The Senate today gave final approval to legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, to put Colorado on track towards creating housing opportunities for every budget.
SB23-213 will implement a statewide housing needs assessment and set housing goals at the statewide, regional, and local levels to create a framework that encourages housing and sustainable growth near jobs and transit.
“Working Coloradans are tired of being priced out of where they live, and SB 213 will help create more sustainable housing growth by linking housing, transportation, and land use planning across our state,” Moreno said. “We’ve got to do more to address this crisis, and this bill will help us gather badly-needed data, prioritize strategic growth across the state, and meet our housing goals so that every Coloradan can find an affordable place to call home.”
In addition to implementing the Housing Needs Assessments and local and regional housing needs plans, SB23-213 will:
Provide technical assistance and grant funding to local governments to help create and update housing needs plans and comprehensive plans.
Remove restrictions on residential occupancy limits based on familial relationships, which historically have had a disproportionate impact on communities of color.
Remove restrictions on modular and manufactured homes to build more housing now
Promote water efficiency by requiring local governments to account for water in their comprehensive plans and by encouraging utility providers to adopt water allocation policies as a housing affordability strategy.
Create statewide strategic growth objectives to balance water availability and efficiency goals, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution reduction goals, and other goals.
SB23-213 will now move to the House for further consideration. Track the bill’s progress HERE.