YIMBY Denver Positions on 2024 General Assembly Legislation
January 25, 2024
YIMBY Denver is proud to see state legislative leaders taking bold strides to solve Colorado’s most pressing problem: the lack of housing affordable for all.
YIMBY Denver is proud to see state legislative leaders taking bold strides to solve Colorado’s most pressing problem: the lack of housing affordable for all. We see Colorado’s leaders recognizing that the current housing crisis has been devastating for many of its residents, and threatens to weaken Colorado’s economy and harm its environment if decisive actions are not taken.
These positions were informed by YIMBY Denver’s assessment of each policy proposal, conversations with stakeholders, and our values.
Each status will be updated as the session progresses, should any amendments adjust our position on the bills.
SUPPORT: HB24-007: Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits
What this is about: The bill prohibits local governments from enacting or enforcing residential occupancy limits unless those limits are tied to a minimum square footage per person requirement that is necessary to regulate safety and health.
Why we care:
- Many Colorado cities reduce the capability of existing homes to house residents by placing arbitrary bans on the number of unrelated persons that may live together.
- The bill will decriminalize the common practice of co-living with unrelated housemates, whether in simple roommate arrangements or formal co-operatives.
- Many tenants already safely live in multi-resident situations, but where these are not currently legal, tenants cannot be formally on leases, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by their roommates and landlords.
- These bans also typically prevent the creation of single-room occupancy developments, which have historically been an important strategic tool in housing lower-income residents.
Status: Passed House Committee, on to Floor https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1007
SUPPORT: HB24-1304: Limiting Minimum Parking Requirements
What this is about: The bill requires local governments to ensure that there are not minimum parking requirements within the boundaries of a metropolitan planning organization.
Why we care:
- Cities are for people, not cars.
- Requiring more parking spaces than residents need makes development more expensive unnecessarily and drives up rents and home prices.
- Parking minimums run counter to environmental and urbanist goals because they make walking and biking more difficult, and reduce demand for transit.
- Car-oriented density is unpleasant to live in and can give new development a bad name, making it harder to build the housing we need to achieve broad affordability.
