Polis talks housing plan as he signs ban on occupancy limits

DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis has signed the first of several Colorado housing measures he wants to see passed this year, but some of the bills may face a tougher battle crossing the finish line.

Polis and community members from across Colorado celebrated a new law signed at a ceremony Monday that prohibits local governments from enforcing residential occupancy limits in most situations, removing decades-old state law that limited how many members of different families can live together under one roof — something students and communities of color have long said are discriminatory.

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“What you see behind me are folks representing the disabled community, people of color, young people, people who have low incomes. This is a bill that’s important to all of these groups and more,” said state Rep. Manny Rutinel, a prime sponsor of the measure.

The law will take effect starting July 1. The measure is a piece of the governor’s housing plan that ran into some major obstacles last year and failed to make it to his desk.

While Polis celebrated this bill Monday, the House debated two other key bills in the plan over the weekend. A bill that clears the way for constructing more accessory dwelling units got bipartisan support, but another bill got some pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike.

A bill requiring localities to follow housing density plans around transit from the state passed the House Sunday, but not without several Democrats expressing their concerns. Some said the bill is an infringement on local control, while others said the solution presented in the bill may not make sense for certain cities.

“There is too much good in this bill for me to just vote it down today, it kills me,” state Rep. Marc Snyder said on the House floor on Sunday, saying he hopes the Senate amends the bill.

“But by God, if this comes back with these same provisions in them, not only will I be voting against it, I will use every ounce of energy I have to defeat this bill,” Snyder said.

Polis: Remove ‘artificial constraints’ on housing supply

FOX31 asked Polis about the concerns. He said he is open to solutions as long as they make sense and work toward the overall goal.

“Every bill can always be made better,” Polis said. “So I mean, the more we can deliver housing that people can afford, reducing housing costs, remove some of these artificial constraints on supply — I mean, it can take builders in some areas two years to go through the regulatory hurdles and costs and tap fees. If we can cut that time and costs, cut bureaucratic red tape, deliver the house quicker and sooner, that means a lower cost house for a Coloradan.”

“I think what we need at the end of the day around transit is a bill that works, that has real teeth, and makes sure housing can be built in and around transit,” Polis continued. “Obviously, we are open to the discussion into exactly how to do that. I think there are a lot of great ideas from both sides of the aisle. But we want to make sure that as we move forward, we want to do it in a way that has real results in delivering more housing now for more Coloradans.”

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The two measures that passed the House now head to the Senate. The governor also noted that he believes other measures making their way through the legislative process can help solve the housing crisis.

“Housing is multi-tiered. We also have an effort around construction defects reform, we also have a bill I’m signing today to allow home-based businesses to operate,” Polis said. But absolutely, removing occupancy limits, allowing accessory dwelling units to be built and even more transit-oriented development, these are key linchpins. We have some tax credits around housing. So there really is not one silver bullet, but I’m confident with all the balls in the air, we will get a lot done.”

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