Denver Metro Area Mayors Urge No Vote on SB 93 as Written.

NEWS RELEASE

February 12, 2020

METRO AREA MAYORS URGE NO VOTE ON SB 93 AS WRITTEN

Hancock: “Now is not the time to shift Colorado into reverse and undo the great work this General Assembly has done to promote attainable housing.”

Denver, CO – Today, Denver area mayors joined the chorus of business organizations, housing advocates and community leaders opposing SB20-093. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet, Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams and Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison urged members of the Colorado Senate to vote “NO” on SB20-093 and stand on the side of attainable housing.

The mayors praised the General Assembly for their work on reforming construction defects just 3 short years ago. From 2018 to 2019 alone, Metro area annual condo starts rose 34%.  Additionally, there are 2,782 condo units currently under construction and 109 future projects, totaling almost 17,000 units in the pipeline and representing opportunity for thousands of Coloradans.

According to Mayor Hancock, SB20-093 will reverse the most positive impacts of HB-1279 and the Vallagio decision, which paved the way for a quintupling of condo construction since 2017. “More than ever, we must provide attainable housing options to our residents. We can’t shift Colorado into reverse and undo the great work this General Assembly has done to promote attainable housing.”

“Colorado simply can’t afford to endanger the recovery that our housing stock has seen and compromise attainable and entry-level workforce housing or the opportunity for our seniors to age in place in a home they can own,” continued Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul on behalf of the Colorado Municipal League.

“Unfortunately, this bill will endanger the very delicate balance that protects consumers and promotes housing affordability,” said Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet. “Consumers will pay and economic development will take a big hit - In the end, we will all pay the bill for this bad idea.”

Arvada Mayor Marc Williams continued, “More broadly, SB20-093 is going to make arbitration more difficult and more expensive for the very consumers the bill seeks to help, all while introducing an extraordinary number of unintended consequences that are likely to stifle our economy.”

 “Without a doubt, this bill will drive up housing costs for consumers and we simply can’t do that to our citizens. We cannot be complicit in destroying the American Dream – Colorado is better than that,” said Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison.

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The Homeownership Opportunity Alliance is a bipartisan, statewide Coalition of Coloradans working to open the doors to attainable homeownership.

Homeownership Opportunity Alliance Coalition

American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado

American Institute of Architects – Colorado Chapter

American Subcontractors Association

Apartment Association of Metro Denver

Associated Builders and Contractors, Rocky Mountain

Associated General Contractors

Building Jobs 4 Colorado

Colorado Apartment Association

Colorado Association of Home Builders

Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors

Colorado Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Colorado Association of REALTORS®

Colorado Bankers Association

Colorado BUILDS

Colorado Business Roundtable

Colorado Civil Justice League

Colorado Chamber

Colorado Competitive Council

Colorado Concern

Colorado Contractors Association

Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association

Colorado Municipal League

Colorado Springs Business Alliance

Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce

Denver South Economic Development Partnership

Douglas County Business Alliance

Douglas County Commissioners

Downtown Denver Partnership

Economic Development Council of Colorado

Habitat for Humanity

Heating, Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration Professionals

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver

Hispanic Contractors of Colorado

Home Builders Association of Metro Denver

Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs

Housing Colorado

Independent Bankers of Colorado

Independent Electrical Contractors

Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation

NAIOP Colorado

National Electrical Contractors

NFIB—Colorado

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors

Urban Land Conservancy