The day after: Polis addresses setback in land-use bill at Chamber event

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis acknowledged this setback, while also highlighting the other achievements of the last five months. Polis spoke at the State of the State, an event hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday at the Denver Convention Center.

Polis warned that Coloradans would need to look at other housing options in the near-future, or Colorado could become more expensive and discourage businesses from locating here.

Polis stated that things will only get worse before they improve. We experienced a level of crisis other states had not, and this is a major detriment to our competitiveness. People need to be able to afford a place to live in order for businesses to flourish. Housing costs are the main reason companies don't choose Colorado.

SB 23-213, also known as the "More Housing Now" bill, would have overturned city and town land-use powers in order to increase the housing density in neighborhoods. It would've allowed home construction which was hoped to slow down the skyrocketing cost of housing in Colorado. The bill, known as the 'More Housing Now' bill, would have overturned city and town land use powers to increase housing densities in neighborhoods and allow home construction that was hoped to slow the skyrocketing costs of housing in the state.

Polis thanked his coalition partners, including the Denver Metro Chamber. He then focused on other legislative wins throughout the session. Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) included a plan for reducing property tax assessments, funding special districts including schools and raising the revenue limit by 1%. Senate Bill 23 303 and House Bill 23 303, which are companion bills to it, drew the anger of Republicans in state legislatures. They walked out of the final day of session.

Polis also cited other session achievements during his speech, including investment in skills-based programs and a tax incentive program for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing.