There’s been a lot of misinformation about Colorado’s 2024 transit-oriented development law. Some claim it forces property owners to build things they don’t want or mandates apartment complexes. That’s simply not true. The law does not dictate what gets built; it only requires cities to loosen restrictive zoning so that, if property owners and the market choose, more homes can be added near transit.
I have no regrets about pushing local decision makers in the right direction on land use and housing policy. Since 2017, average home prices in Colorado Springs have jumped from $277,000 to $455,000 – a whopping 64% increase – partly because new homebuilding has not kept up with demand. That housing shortage drives up costs and creates financial strain for our neighbors and workers. We need more homes, and our overwhelming rejection of the Karman Line annexation demonstrates that more and more people are coming around to the reality that we simply cannot sprawl away from our urban centers indefinitely – at least, not if we care about housing choices and affordability. And especially not if we want to keep the natural beauty that has contributed to a sense of place in Colorado Springs for generations to come.
It is actually local governments, and not the state, that have placed onerous mandates on property owners for the last half a century, forbidding people rooted in the community from choosing their own path in regards to development. The new state law simply says that cities need to roll back at least some of those restrictions, and slow the sprawl that ends up creating problems beyond local jurisdictional boundaries (like increased commute times and pollution, higher costs for housing and transportation, and development on our precious open spaces). Far from using a “one size fits all” approach, the law requires cities to allow more housing near transit. Such housing will be built only if the market demands it and if private property owners choose to pursue the investment. Cities retain the flexibility to use whatever local zoning adjustments make the most sense for their particular community.
This is smart policy: It keeps the finer points of land use policy local, while acknowledging that the regional and statewide impact of our imbalanced housing supply must be addressed. Neighborhoods with diverse housing at varied price points are thriving neighborhoods, where property values tend to rise, the economy is stronger, and the tax base actually supports the quality infrastructure that residents deserve. Some of our most cherished neighborhoods, those with the most unique character and the most desirable homes and destinations, were brought about by the traditional “many hands” approach, well before all these land use restrictions came into play – not just downtown, but also Hillside, Old Colorado City, Mid Shooks Run, Roswell, Patty Jewett, and definitely the Old North End. The sky is not falling; we are reversing decades of short-term thinking and, for once, betting on a vibrant future where Colorado is for everyone.
When it comes to transit-oriented development, we can expect to see gradual changes to existing neighborhoods – not a glut of massive complexes popping up all at once, which is the development pattern we get from low-density sprawl. When those changes do come, I will be excited to see them happen in the form of mixed-use and walkable communities that allow people to live closer to jobs, stores, schools, parks, and more. In fact, it’s entirely possible that Colorado Springs already complies with the minimum requirements of the law. Compliance will give us access to an array of state funding opportunities, adding up to $280 million, at a time when our city is facing a budget shortfall.
For generations before restrictive land use policies came into play – like minimum lot sizes and off-street parking requirements – community-driven housing projects are how cities were always built. They were built by many hands, not by just a few corporate development groups. We’ve lost that flexibility, the opportunities for incremental growth, and organic repurposing of obsolete structures. Many of those rules, to be perfectly frank, were put in place expressly to preserve segregation and racial inequality. It’s far beyond time to shed that baggage.
The choice is clear: cling to outdated rules that fuel sprawl and rising costs, or move toward a smarter, more affordable future that protects the quality of our neighborhoods and the beauty of the Pikes Peak region.
Stephanie Vigil is a former state representative for House District 16
