Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants brief Pueblo council on housing bills and a proposed fix to Prop 1-23
Summary
Alec Romero and Ryan Romero of Capital Success Group flagged two state housing bills—one that would require administrative approval of residential projects on qualifying public/nonprofit sites and another enabling a voter-approved vacancy tax—and described a proposed fix to Proposition 1-23 to tailor housing-growth targets to Pueblo's actual permits and job growth.
Consultants from Capital Success Group briefed the Pueblo City Council at its Jan. 26 work session on state housing measures that could affect local land-use authority and funding eligibility.
Alec Romero outlined a bill (transcribed as "house bill 26 1 0 0 1") that would require local governments to allow residential development by administrative approval on certain qualifying publicly or nonprofit-owned properties (generally five acres or less and with specific ownership types listed in the bill). Romero said qualifying sites would be exempted from some discretionary processes as long as they meet objective standards, and the city would retain the ability to enforce building codes, infrastructure-capacity requirements and certain design standards. "The bill essentially says the city must allow residential development by administrative approval even if housing is not currently allowed in that zoning district," Romero said.
Romero also described a second measure (transcribed as "house bill 26 10 36") that would permit a municipality, with voter approval, to impose an additional tax on vacant residential properties. He said that revenue "must be used exclusively for affordable or workforce housing." Romero characterized that bill as expanding local authority rather than preempting it.
Ryan Romero discussed a proposal to amend Proposition 1-23, which currently ties state housing funds to a uniform 3% growth target. The consultants said the proposed fix would replace that one-size-fits-all target with a formula tailored to Pueblo’s building permits and local job growth, which they argued would produce more realistic and fair production goals and improve the city’s ability to qualify for and retain state housing funding.
The presenters asked councilors to use a bill tracker and to identify bills the city should take positions on; they said formal presentations will follow once bill text is introduced. Council received the briefing and was offered the bill tracker for follow-up questions; no formal city positions were taken at the work session.
