Land Use Reform: Solution or Polis’ Central Planning Grab?

Colorado Politics covers a new study by AARP and Pew that shows land use reform is increasingly being seen as a solution to America’s housing crisis. The report highlights Colorado as a case study, where housing costs are soaring, seniors are struggling to age in place, and lawmakers are leaning on policies like House Bill 1313 (transit-oriented development – an utter, centrally planned disaster of a bill that is now getting the Gov sued by six different municipalities). and House Bill 1152 (loosening restrictions on ADUs – not a bad idea, but one that should be discussed at the LOCAL level, not mandated by Polis’ central planning elitist bureaucrats).

Governor Jared Polis latched onto the findings, declaring Colorado is “the best state in the nation to live out your golden years.” He points to so-called “nation-leading” legislation as proof his administration is making housing more accessible for older adults.

The Bullet Point Brief

• The study: AARP and Pew say land use reform—changing zoning, loosening restrictions – is a key to solving the housing crisis.
• Colorado focus: Seniors here are growing in number faster than almost anywhere else; more than 70% want to age in place.
• Polis chest-thump: The governor brags that bills like HB-1313 and HB-1152 prove Colorado is “nation-leading.”
• Central planning reflex: In practice, Polis’ vision often strips land use authority from local governments and hands it to state bureaucrats.
• Crisis backdrop: A decade of Democrat control has made Colorado less affordable across the board – housing, food, energy, you name it.

My Bottom Line

I don’t often agree with Jared Polis, but here I do – at least partly. Land use reform is one piece of the housing puzzle. Local governments should rethink how communities are designed and break out of outdated models.

But here’s where Polis loses me: every time he hears “reform,” he grabs for more central control. Instead of empowering local leaders who know their communities, he tries to shove authority up to Denver, where bureaucrats like Will Toor think they know better how you and I should live. That’s not reform – it’s central planning.

Colorado’s affordability crisis is the fruit of a decade of one-party rule. The same Democrats who priced our kids out of starting their lives here and our seniors out of finishing theirs now want to pretend they’ve found the solution in one more round of Denver-knows-best policymaking. Land use reform can help, but only when it’s done locally – where citizens can face their elected officials directly and shape the neighborhoods in which they live.

Stop pretending bureaucrats in the capital know better than communities themselves. If Polis wants Colorado to be the “best state in the nation to live out your golden years,” he should stop strangling local control and start letting communities lead.