x
Breaking News
More () »

Polis' housing bill advances after panel strips key upzoning provision

The winning amendment was a strike-below that rewrote the bill and took out its most controversial provisions.

DENVER — The Senate Appropriations Committee on a party-line approved an amendment watering down Gov. Jared Polis' signature affordable housing bill before advancing it out of the panel that brought a halt to its progress. 

The Wednesday vote came after a vigorous hour of debate among committee members over a competing amendment and an effort to return it to a lower committee. Both Republican efforts failed on party-line votes.

The hearing on Senate Bill 213 was delayed several times while bill sponsor Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, tried to broker a compromise between the governor's office and Senate Democrats. Among the key opponents in the Senate's majority caucus were the appropriations panel's chair and vice-chair, both who pledged to vote against the bill if it continued to strip local government authority on zoning.

The winning amendment was a strike-below that rewrote the bill and took out its most controversial provision: language that sought to allow state control of local government zoning decisions. The bill in its new form would signal a major defeat for Polis, who made state preemption a key feature of his affordable housing plan for the 2023 session.

As amended, SB 213 is little more than a planning measure and still lacks any requirement that new housing be affordable. Its most important provision now appears to be a housing needs assessment that would look at housing needs on a statewide, rural and urban basis. The assessment has bipartisan support.

>Read the full article at Colorado Politics.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Full Episodes of Next with Kyle Clark

Watch more from 9NEWS on the free 9NEWS+ app for Roku and Fire TV.      

9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.      

To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.       

To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.     

RELATED: Watch 9NEWS for free on ROKU, Apple TV, Fire TV

Before You Leave, Check This Out