Colorado legislature: Senate advances transit-centric density bill aiming to spur residential development
The Colorado legislature started its mad rush into weekend work on Friday as the top of the 2024 session comes into sight, with loads of main laws nonetheless unfinished. Lawmakers have till the top of the day Wednesday to complete up payments on gun laws, housing, land use coverage, transportation, property tax reform and different priorities.
This story shall be up to date all through the day.
Up to date at 1:19 p.m.: Amid a busy day within the Home, the chamber handed Home Invoice 1447, the a lot talked about and rewritten invoice to reform the Regional Transportation District.
The invoice not proposes to revamp the board’s composition, a very contentious measure that was watered down earlier than being stripped completely. However it will nonetheless require higher fixed-route coordination with the Denver Regional Council of Governments; coordination for particular routes for particular occasions, like concert events or sporting occasions; and improved price range transparency. It will additionally create a subcommittee to check RTD’s governance over the following a number of months.
The measure now heads to the Senate, which can be weighing a invoice that may direct tens of millions of {dollars} to RTD and different transit businesses by way of a manufacturing price on the oil and fuel trade.
Up to date at 11:58 a.m.: In the end, Home Invoice 1313 — the measure that may encourage after which require denser residential growth close to transit-rich areas in Entrance Vary cities — is heading to the Senate ground.
The invoice handed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday morning, after being bumped from that committee’s calendar 24 hours earlier than. Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat whose smooth assist helped the invoice go its first Senate committee, backed it once more Friday, together with a number of different Democrats. Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, a reasonable Democrat who’s a land-use reform skeptic, voted no.
The committee added amendments permitting for extra areas to be exempt from native governments’ required density calculations, on the request of Democratic Sen. Jeff Bridges, who was skeptical of an analogous coverage final 12 months. The invoice was additionally modified to enhance anti-displacement and anti-gentrification measures as extra growth happens in cities, a precedence for Gonzales.
The invoice now heads to the Senate ground, the place two different land-use reform payments — one to permit for extra accessory-dwelling items (ADUs) to be constructed, the opposite to eradicate minimal parking necessities — are languishing amid opposition from Republicans and reasonable Democrats.
The parking invoice has been thought of and delayed repeatedly in latest days. On Thursday night time, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, introduced a slew of amendments that may weaken the invoice. However then Sen. Robert Rodriguez, the Senate’s majority chief, moved to delay the invoice once more.
An modification already added to the invoice enable native governments to require minimal parking on sure developments, as long as these governments verify a number of packing containers to show the event wants the required parking. Extra adjustments seem like coming.
Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, a Pueblo Democrat sponsoring the invoice, mentioned Friday morning that it had the votes to go. However opponents, together with some Democrats, had been threatening prolonged filibusters that may derail proceedings within the chamber within the closing days of the session. One of many opponents, Fort Collins Democratic Sen. Joann Ginal, needs her metropolis exempted altogether, Hinrichsen mentioned.
“That, to me, is extraordinarily inappropriate and never how we do public coverage,” he mentioned.
Hinrichsen mentioned he’s nonetheless working to resolve considerations from one other Democrat, Sen. Kyle Mullica, who’s additionally sponsoring the ADUs invoice.
“If the coverage has the votes, then it’s about cooling temperatures,” Hinrichsen mentioned. “And that’s more durable to gauge.”
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