DENVER — Governor Jared Polis shared his vision for 2024 with members of the General Assembly in his annual "State of the State" address Thursday morning.
Some of the key priorities he outlined included making housing more affordable, creating more transit options for Coloradans, as well as investments in public education.
His priorities mirror what lawmakers outlined as their goals for the upcoming legislative session: affordable housing, education funding, and public safety.
Polis didn't outline many plans for how the state can become a more affordable place to live but honed in on expanding access to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) throughout the state.
Last year, a sweeping Land Use bill, which would have added zoning requirements in cities throughout the state ultimately failed in the legislature. This year, lawmakers are looking at a series of bills to address affordable housing and zoning.
Local government leaders in 2023 were vocal in their opposition to the Land Use bill.
"It's not about telling local governments anything, it’s really about what private property rights we have under the framework of Colorado law for a matter of statewide concern," Polis said in an interview with News5 after his address.
When it comes to ADUs, Colorado Springs already has some regulations in place for where they can be built. Single-family home zones allow them, but there are some restrictions on whether or not the ADU can be a detached structure or if it needs to be connected to the original home.
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade says there's room for ADUs in Colorado Springs, "Absolutely, there’s space for ADUs, now there’s room for improvement in terms of how we help our residents understand how to go about taking advantage of that, so that’s some work we have to do on our side of it," Mobolade said.
"We value the look and feel of our neighborhoods, but fundamentally as a state we need more housing," Polis said.
Polis says ADUs are one of the solutions to creating more housing in the state, but also says that transit needs to expand in Colorado and have more housing like apartments near public transportation.
"If you want to drive a car, drive a car, by the way, people who choose to drive cars will benefit from less traffic on our roads if more people can live close to job centers and have access to transit as well," Polis said.
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