Crushing housing costs are one of the most pressing challenges facing Denver and Colorado, hurting ordinary people and their families, especially the young, seniors, and communities of color. Lack of affordable housing fuels homelessness, displacement, pollution, and economic and cultural instability. We need an aggressive plan to make our state more affordable, including:

• Modifying exclusionary zoning laws to encourage the building of large-scale affordable housing, “missing middle” units, and accessory dwelling units.

• Incentivizing the conversion of vacant or under-utilized commercial spaces by rethinking residential requirements and providing appropriate financial assistance and technical support.  

• Banning the use of price-fixing algorithms in setting rental rates.  

• Regulating HOA fees and penalties, which have significantly increased the cost of housing in Colorado.

• Banning private equity ownership of single-family unit homes and levying taxes on homes that sit empty throughout the year.

• Empowering local communities to implement local solutions by repealing preemptive state housing, property tax, and rent control laws.

• Facilitating renters’ strikes against slumlords and ensuring habitability of housing by increasing inspections.