Blog 2023 Land Use Bill: House Committee Testimony

May 1, 2023

Colorado-State-Capitol

The Land Use bill has reached the house. Unfortunately, the bill was watered down drastically along the way. On Tuesday, May 2, the House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee will hear the bill. This committee has an opportunity to reinstate critical elements of the bill that Senate committees removed, and we need to pressure them to do so!

We need your voice to reach a committee – again. Can you join us?

  1. Can you testify remotely by Zoom or in-person? Find details on timing and sign up here!
  2. Can’t be online? A written comment still helps! Follow instructions below.

Written Testimony Instructions

  1. Write your statement with help in the “How to write your testimony” section below!
  2. Visit this link
  3. Answer “How do you wish to testify?” with “Submit Written Testimony”
  4. Select “By Committee and Hearing Item”
  5. Select Committee: House Transportation, Housing & Local Government
  6. Select Meeting Date and Time: 5/2/2023 Upon Adjournment
  7. Select Hearing Item: SB23-213 Land Use [Moreno, Jodeh, Woodrow]
  8. Enter your personal details, then either copy your statement into the text box or upload a file with your statement. Don’t forget to hit submit!

How to write your testimony

To start, let’s talk length!

  • If you are speaking in person or remotely, you’ll have two minutes of time. That’s about 200-300 words for the average person.
  • If you are writing your testimony, any length is fine, but keep it concise! Although there’s a lot to love here, it’s better to be brief and focused than to list every reason you think it’s excellent.

We recommend you share your housing story. Why are one or more of the provisions of this bill important to you? A story is better than statistics!

In this committee, we want to push strongly for any of the removed parts of the bill to be reinstated: ADUs, Middle Housing, Transit-oriented Communities, and Key Corridors. Focusing testimony on the importance of reinstating at least one of these provisions, particularly if they can be tied to your housing story, would be excellent.

If you’d like an understanding of what the bill and its impact looked like before the most recent amendments gutted the bill, thumb through one of the great explainers from YIMBY Denver + YIMBY Fort Collins, the SouthWest Energy Efficiency Project, or the Natural Resources Defense Council.