First round of Colorado state TOD infrastructure grants have been awarded to cities complying with HB24-1313 to build the infrastructure needed to support more housing near transit 👏

"How McMansions lured us into an unhappiness trap" -- WSJ on why smaller houses can lead to happier lives: archive.ph/9zDyE

Colorado at a crossroads: Why smart growth beats sprawl We must be more strategic about the kinds of housing we choose to build and where we choose to build it.

Sprawl is more than cookie cutter subdivisions. It drives up housing, energy, and infrastructure costs, emissions, and risk. A new DOLA report compares “business as usual” to smart growth, and the results aren’t even close. We break it down in our latest blog: housingforwardco.org/colorado-at-...

And a great quote from @earthjustice.org's Alex Schluntz:

"Folks should not be trapped by a false choice between ‘less congestion’ and ‘public health’ — it is not too much to ask for a transportation system that meets both needs.”

CDOT’s pollution claims for I-270 expansion are a fantasy, green groups say As public hearings begin, CDOT and Colorado green groups dispute whether an expansion of I-270 would increase pollution.

Questionable new CDOT study on the proposed I-270 widening claims it won't increase driving. Making driving easier leads to more of it and traffic returns to pre-construction levels in 3–5 years. Big waste of $800M taxpayer dollars.

More in the CO Sun article:
coloradosun.com/2026/01/07/c...
1/2

We're delighted that the Denver Downtown Development Authority (DDDA) has approved funding for an office-to-residential conversion of the historic Petroleum Building! This adaptive reuse project will turn 12 floors of vacant office space into 178 new apartments. www.denvergov.org/News-article...

Cities around the state get funds to help encourage more ADUs The grants are part of a larger effort to expand the state’s supply of smaller, more affordable housing options.

Big congrats to Grand Junction, Superior, Larimer County, Glenwood Springs, Fruita, Brighton, and Longmont on being the first to receive grant money from Colorado's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Grant Program! www.cpr.org/2025/11/19/c...

Denver now allows single-stair residential buildings up to 5 stories instead of just 3 thanks to HB25-1273 👏

Exciting news on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Colorado thanks to House bill 24-1152:

🤯

Big news out of Lakewood, Colorado!

Denver Housing Construction Benefits Low-Income Renters Denver’s recent experience shows that when we build more housing, rents fall – and they fall the most for households that need the greatest relief.

Our latest blog post by HFC lead @mattfrommer.bsky.social and economist Luke Teater crunches the numbers on how housing construction affects low-income renters in #Denver: housingforwardco.org/denvers-hous...

Denver's recent apartment construction boom has driven down rents. In our new blog, Luke Teater & I use RealPage data to measure rent changes.

Notably, rents in Class C buildings, the most affordable segment, fell twice as fast as pricier Class A and B units.

housingforwardco.org/denvers-hous...

Colorado pro-housing advocates win big in 2025 local elections Voters across the Front Range chose pro-housing city council members and defeated anti-growth ballot measures.

Last Tuesday, pro-housing advocates celebrated numerous victories in local elections across Colorado. The message is clear: Pro-housing platforms win elections. Read our press release for details: housingforwardco.org/housing-news...

New Colorado Sun article: Will adding more lanes fix I-270 congestion? CDOT’s favored fix will test its new mission, opponents say.
coloradosun.com/2025/11/11/i...

This $725M project is one of several costly highway expansions CDOT’s considering in the upcoming 10 year plan.

Five ways smart land use policies tackle climate change in Colorado Strategic growth policies can reduce emissions from transportation and buildings while saving residents money and protecting open lands.

Colorado’s 2024 land use reforms on ADUs, parking, and TOD were a big step.
But the real climate and affordability gains come when cities go beyond the minimums.
Let’s double down on smart growth to cut emissions, costs, and wildfire risk.
Here's our breakdown:
housingforwardco.org/five-ways-sm...

We made it onto Bluesky! 🎉 Climate-friendly, pro-housing content coming soon! 🏘️🌏🌄

(1/2) The CO Energy Office modeled how smart land use policies impact GHG emissions &climate risks. The results:
🏘️ -31% building emissions
🚗 -15% household transpo emissions
🌲 +30% of new homes shifted from greenfield development to infill
🔥 -Tens of thousands fewer homes in wildfire-prone areas

Major credit to state & local leaders for responding to the housing affordability crisis with the urgency it deserves. While there are some hold outs, the pace of progress is impressive.

We've also counted 21 communities that have removed parking mandates to comply with HB1304. 👏

In the past year alone:
- 60 communities legalized Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs (HB1152)
- 22 are planning more housing near transit (HB1313)
- 193 are conducting Housing Needs Assessments, many with state grants (SB174)

New release from Governor Polis finds most Colorado communities are working toward compliance with state housing laws to expand housing choices & lower costs.

www.colorado.gov/governor/new...
1/

New post about how bulk transit passes are incredibly affordable and pair nicely with new parking reform and TOD laws.

New tools in SB25-161 expand this program - let's use them!

Written with James Flattum from @greatdentransit.bsky.social

Another interesting finding – increasing the whole region’s housing supply has 4x the impact on local rents vs just adding local supply, which is why we need a regional/state approach to housing rather than just local.

This shows that big boosts in supply can create more naturally affordable housing. It won’t meet all needs (e.g. very low-income at 30% AMI), but it can help to address the 60–80% AMI range, and without subsidy.
2/

New @pewtrusts.org research shows that adding lots of new housing supply lowers rents, especially in older and more affordable Class C apartments. In Denver, average rents fell 4.2% overall in 2023–24, and Class C rents dropped 7.6%.
t.co/DukRRheG9Q
1/

Shoutout to Denver for building this sweet protected bike lane on South Broadway. At first I was skeptical but now I use it almost daily, and it looks like I’m not the only one… Now please extend it through Golden Triangle, downtown and into Rino thanks

Conservation and housing groups support new executive order rewarding local governments for tackling the housing affordability and climate crises - Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

New press release from SWEEP & partners:
Environmental and housing groups support new executive order rewarding local governments for tackling the housing affordability and climate crises.

www.swenergy.org/conservation...

Colorado e-bike survey shows rebate users cutting car trips, still facing weather and street challenges Colorado surveyed more than 3,000 who used a now-depleted rebate program to get big discounts off e-bikes, finding many skipping car trips.

Colorado's e-bike rebates have been a huge success! "More than 1/3 of respondents said they were taking 2-3 rides a week, with the next-largest group taking 4-5 trips a week."

This is a cost-effective tool to cut emissions & traffic, and save people money. ⚡️🚲 ⚡️
coloradosun.com/2025/08/11/c...

RTD has a new solution for the 'last mile' problem: scooters and e-bikes A new pilot program, First Mile Free, will offer free rides to two RTD stations.

We need a more integrated multimodal transportation system - one where people can easily walk, bike, scoot, bus, and train wherever they need to go & with minimal friction & lower travel times.

Much more convenient/fast to scoot/bike 1 mile in 5-6 minutes versus a 20-minute walk.

RTD has a new solution for the 'last mile' problem: scooters and e-bikes A new pilot program, First Mile Free, will offer free rides to two RTD stations.

Innovative new program in Denver will offer free e-scooter & e-bike rides to light rail stations to address the first/last minute challenge. Props to RTD for getting this started!

denverite.com/2025/08/05/r...
1/