House Committee of Reference Report
Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government
- Strikethrough:
- removed from existing law
- Screen Reader Only:
- all text indicated as strikethrough will begin as 'deleted from existing statue' and finish with 'end deletion'
- All-caps or Bold and Italic:
- added to existing law
- Screen Reader Only:
- all text indicated as all-caps or bold and italic will begin as 'added to existing law' and finish with 'end insertion'
February 3, 2026
After consideration on the merits, the Committee recommends the following:
HB26-1001 be amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendation:
Page 1, Line 1Amend printed bill, page 3, line 4, after "29-35-103," insert "amend
Page 1, Line 2(2)(a)(I); and".
Page 1, Line 3Page 3, before line 7 insert:
Page 1, Line 4"(2) (a) "Administrative approval process" means a process in
Page 1, Line 5which:
Page 1, Line 6(I) A development proposal application for a specified project
Page 1, Line 7is approved, approved with conditions, or denied by local government
Page 1, Line 8administrative staff based solely on its compliance with objective
Page 1, Line 9standards set forth in local laws; and".
Page 1, Line 10Page 3, line 17, strike "Definitions." and substitute "Legislative
Page 1, Line 11declaration.
Page 1, Line 12(1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 1, Line 13(a) Coloradans are overwhelmingly burdened with the
Page 1, Line 14cost of housing. The number of households that spend more than
Page 1, Line 15thirty percent of their total income on rent or mortgage
Page 1, Line 16payments in Colorado increased from six hundred sixty-eight
Page 1, Line 17thousand one hundred in 2014 to eight hundred fifty thousand
Page 1, Line 18eight hundred in 2024, representing thirty-five percent of all
Page 1, Line 19households.
Page 1, Line 20(b) A contributing factor to the increase in cost-burdened
Page 1, Line 21households is that population growth has outpaced new housing
Page 1, Line 22development, resulting in supply constraints and escalating
Page 1, Line 23costs. Between 2000 and 2023, residential property values and
Page 1, Line 24rental rates increased at rates exceeding income growth,
Page 1, Line 25thereby exerting considerable financial strain on many
Page 2, Line 1residents. A 2025 research brief published by the Colorado state
Page 2, Line 2demography office titled "Colorado's Housing Shortfall: An
Page 2, Line 3Estimate and Review of Existing Studies" estimated that, as of
Page 2, Line 42023, an additional one hundred six thousand housing units were
Page 2, Line 5needed to overcome the housing shortfall, and thirty-four
Page 2, Line 6thousand one-hundred units needed to be built annually to
Page 2, Line 7maintain the housing shortage at its 2023 level.
Page 2, Line 8(c) As Colorado grows, so does the challenge of providing
Page 2, Line 9affordable housing to residents. While land that is available
Page 2, Line 10for new housing in established communities is in short supply,
Page 2, Line 11many qualifying organizations own underutilized properties
Page 2, Line 12where housing could be built.
Page 2, Line 13(d) Colorado urgently needs more housing to meet the
Page 2, Line 14needs of a growing statewide population and address issues
Page 2, Line 15directly related to housing, such as transit, commuting, the
Page 2, Line 16workforce, and the environment. Providing opportunities to
Page 2, Line 17construct residential developments on underutilized land is a
Page 2, Line 18matter of mixed statewide and local concern.
Page 2, Line 19(e) Local zoning regulations often prevent housing from
Page 2, Line 20being developed on vacant properties by prohibiting residential
Page 2, Line 21development on qualifying properties or by requiring extensive
Page 2, Line 22rezoning processes that add cost and uncertainty to affordable
Page 2, Line 23housing projects.
Page 2, Line 24(f) This House Bill 26-1001, enacted in 2026, streamlines
Page 2, Line 25the construction of affordable housing by providing a process
Page 2, Line 26that allows residential developments to be constructed on
Page 2, Line 27qualifying properties as long as certain requirements are
Page 2, Line 28satisfied.
Page 2, Line 29(g) According to a 2022 article published in the Journal of
Page 2, Line 30the American Planning Association titled "Does Discretion
Page 2, Line 31Delay Development?", residential projects that went through
Page 2, Line 32administrative approval processes were approved twenty-eight
Page 2, Line 33percent faster than residential projects that went through
Page 2, Line 34discretionary approval processes, and faster approval times
Page 2, Line 35reduce developer costs and therefore housing costs. Studies
Page 2, Line 36have shown that homebuilders, including affordable housing
Page 2, Line 37developers, will avoid parcels that need to go through a
Page 2, Line 38discretionary process.
Page 2, Line 39(h) A 2022 research paper published by the Federal
Page 2, Line 40Reserve Bank of Boston titled "How to Increase Housing
Page 2, Line 41Affordability: Understanding Local Deterrents to Building
Page 2, Line 42Multifamily Housing" found that relaxing density restrictions,
Page 2, Line 43either alone or in combination with relaxing maximum height
Page 3, Line 1restrictions, is the most effective policy reform for increasing
Page 3, Line 2the housing supply and reducing multifamily rents and
Page 3, Line 3single-family home prices. This paper also found that even if
Page 3, Line 4multifamily zoning is allowed, municipalities often limit the size
Page 3, Line 5or shape of buildings with height restrictions.
Page 3, Line 6(i) Research examining three decades of rezoning
Page 3, Line 7decisions in Henrico County, Virginia demonstrated that public
Page 3, Line 8participation in residential rezoning processes is
Page 3, Line 9overwhelmingly oppositional, with more than eighty-five
Page 3, Line 10percent of commenters raising concerns about perceived
Page 3, Line 11negative impacts of new development related to density, site
Page 3, Line 12design, and parking. As a result, local governments frequently
Page 3, Line 13impose conditions that go beyond baseline zoning standards to
Page 3, Line 14reduce density. Prohibiting the application of these more
Page 3, Line 15restrictive standards to residential developments ensures
Page 3, Line 16development standards are applied consistently and
Page 3, Line 17objectively, rather than being applied ad hoc in discretionary
Page 3, Line 18processes driven by opposition.
Page 3, Line 19(j) Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans have one or
Page 3, Line 20more disabilities and this number continues to increase as the
Page 3, Line 21population ages. Ensuring fair and accessible housing benefits
Page 3, Line 22individuals with disabilities and provides safer working
Page 3, Line 23conditions for home health-care workers. Federal, state, and
Page 3, Line 24local laws that provide accessibility protections such as the
Page 3, Line 25federal "Fair Housing Act", 42 U.S.C. sec. 3601 et seq., the
Page 3, Line 26federal "Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990", 42 U.S.C. sec.
Page 3, Line 2712101 et seq., and the "Colorado Anti-discrimination Act", parts
Page 3, Line 283 through 8 of article 34 of title 24, are imperative to increasing
Page 3, Line 29accessible housing opportunities.
Page 3, Line 30(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that:
Page 3, Line 31(a) Community opposition and restrictive local land use
Page 3, Line 32policies limit the housing supply, impact housing options for
Page 3, Line 33Coloradans of low and moderate incomes, and restrict the
Page 3, Line 34availability of workforce housing, thereby affecting
Page 3, Line 35employment growth.
Page 3, Line 36(b) When local governments restrict housing
Page 3, Line 37developments within their jurisdictions, they impact neighboring
Page 3, Line 38local governments. An increase in job growth in one community
Page 3, Line 39without a corresponding growth in housing leads to a housing
Page 3, Line 40shortfall in the community. Research has shown that regional
Page 3, Line 41imbalances between jobs and housing have significant impacts on
Page 3, Line 42vehicle miles traveled and commute times across jurisdictions,
Page 3, Line 43according to studies such as "Which Reduces Vehicle Travel
Page 4, Line 1More: Jobs-Housing Balance or Retail-Housing Mixing?",
Page 4, Line 2published in the Journal of the American Planning Association.
Page 4, Line 3When people are unable to live near where they work, workers'
Page 4, Line 4only option is to spend more hours on the road commuting.
Page 4, Line 5Longer commutes increase vehicle traffic, put additional strain
Page 4, Line 6on Colorado's roads, and increase pollution.
Page 4, Line 7(c) The availability of affordable housing is a matter of
Page 4, Line 8mixed statewide and local concern.
Page 4, Line 9(d) Colorado has a legitimate state interest in managing
Page 4, Line 10population and development growth and ensuring a stable
Page 4, Line 11quality and quantity of housing for Coloradans, as this is
Page 4, Line 12among the most pressing problems currently facing communities
Page 4, Line 13throughout Colorado.
Page 4, Line 14(3) Therefore, the general assembly finds, determines, and
Page 4, Line 15declares that local government policies that limit the
Page 4, Line 16construction of a diverse range of housing in areas served by
Page 4, Line 17infrastructure and that effectively create housing supply
Page 4, Line 18shortfalls and unsustainable development patterns, require a
Page 4, Line 19statewide solution.
Page 4, Line 2029-35-502. Definitions.".
Page 4, Line 21Page 4, after line 26 insert:
Page 4, Line 22"(5) "Nonprofit organization" means an organization
Page 4, Line 23authorized to do business in the state that is exempt from
Page 4, Line 24taxation pursuant to section 501 (a) of the federal “Internal
Page 4, Line 25Revenue Code of 1986”, 26 U.S.C. sec. 501, as amended, and listed
Page 4, Line 26as an exempt organization in section 501 (c)(3) of the federal
Page 4, Line 27“Internal Revenue Code of 1986”, 26 U.S.C. sec. 501, as amended.".
Page 4, Line 28Renumber succeeding subsections accordingly.
Page 4, Line 29Page 6, after line 21 insert:
Page 4, Line 30"(c) A board of cooperative services, as defined in section
Page 4, Line 3122-5-103;".
Page 4, Line 32Reletter succeeding paragraphs accordingly.
Page 4, Line 33Page 7, line 10, strike "29-35-502." and substitute "29-35-503.".
Page 4, Line 34Page 8, line 24, strike "29-35-503" and substitute "29-35-504".
Page 4, Line 35
Page 5, Line 1Page 9, after line 7 insert:
Page 5, Line 2"(4) School district administrative practices. Nothing in this
Page 5, Line 3section prevents a school district from constructing,
Page 5, Line 4purchasing, or remodeling a teacherage pursuant to section
Page 5, Line 522-32-110 (1)(d), or from using any of the processes described in
Page 5, Line 6section 22-32-124 regarding buildings and structures.
Page 5, Line 7Page 9, line 8, strike "29-35-503." and substitute "29-35-504.".
Page 5, Line 8Page 10, strike lines 25 through 27.
Page 5, Line 9Page 11, strike lines 1 through 8 and substitute:
Page 5, Line 10"29-35-505. Authority of institutions of higher education
Page 5, Line 11preserved.
Page 5, Line 12Nothing in this part 5 is intended to abrogate or limit the
Page 5, Line 13authority of an institution of higher education to make
Page 5, Line 14decisions regarding the use of or disposition of the institution's
Page 5, Line 15property, or to create additional building code compliance
Page 5, Line 16obligations for an institution of higher education beyond those
Page 5, Line 17already required by section 24-30-1303.".
Page 5, Line 18Strike "29-35-501(5)" and substitute "29-35-502(6)" on: Page 7, line 21;
Page 5, Line 19and Page 7, line 24.