(C) Colorado Newsline This story was originally published by Colorado Newsline and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Amended transit-oriented housing density bill clears Colorado Senate committee • Colorado Newsline [1] ['Sara Wilson', 'Lindsey Toomer', 'Ashley Murray', 'Jennifer Shutt', 'More From Author', '- May'] Date: 2024-05 One of Democratic lawmakers’ centerpiece land-use policies aimed at spurring housing development along transit corridors in Colorado made it through its Senate committee on Tuesday night with amendments that strip a controversial enforcement mechanism. House Bill 24-1313 passed the Senate Local Government and Housing Committee on a 4-3 party-line vote, following multiple postponements of the amendment and voting process, and now heads to the appropriations committee with one week left in the legislative session. As introduced, the bill would have encouraged cities to increase allowable housing density near transit, rewarding those that meet their goals with funding and penalizing those that do not meet their goals by withholding tax money. That provision to deny cities money from the Highway Users Tax Fund garnered criticism from local governments. The fund is one of the biggest sources of money for transportation funding and comes from various fees on fuel, drivers’ licenses and vehicle registrations. In the most recent fiscal year, for example, Pueblo County received about $4.2 million in HUTF funds. Arapahoe County got $7.4 million and Mesa County received $6.9 million. Those counties have municipalities that would be subject to HB24-1313 because they fall into a metropolitan planning organization. Thirty-one jurisdictions, mostly along the Interstate 25 corridor, would qualify under the bill. A series of amendments to the bill removed that penalty, which bill sponsor Sen. Faith Winter, a Westminster Democrat, said was the “number one request from local governments.” Another amendment got rid of the state’s ability to apply for court injunctions against local governments who don’t participate. Additionally, an amendment stripped out $35 million in tax credits aimed to incentivize local governments to meet density goals. What is left is a bill that encourages more housing density near rail and bus lines but without the original carrots or sticks for cities to comply. It still includes the creation of a transit-oriented communities infrastructure fund from which cities that meet their housing goals can benefit. HB-1313 is one of a handful of bills that resurrect parts of a failed land use bill last year. Another bill that would make it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their property passed the House and is now working its way through the Senate. The transit-oriented communities bill passed the House on a 37-24 vote in mid-April. It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, then to the Senate floor. The House would need to agree to the Senate’s amendments or work them out through a conference committee for it to make it to Democratis Gov. Jared Polis’ desk. The legislative session ends on May 8. [END] --- [1] Url: https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/amended-transit-oriented-housing-density-bill/ Published and (C) by Colorado Newsline Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/coloradonewsline/