There's been a massive push in Colorado politics to allow churches, schools and universities the ability to construct housing on their own properties.

According to the Washington Examiner, the bill that would have opened the door for the ability to construct housing on those lands was effectively killed in the state Senate earlier this week. 

The measure, if it was passed, would have allowed those institutions to override local zoning laws, which currently restrict or forbid them from building housing on their properties.

Leaders of the Colorado Senate tabled the measure as they claimed it didn't have the required votes to pass.

What's going on?

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) backed the measure, and his office issued a statement to that effect.

"This common-sense policy is backed by non-profits, congregations, schools, housing, and conservation organizations. Coloradans are demanding action to cut housing costs, and we remain committed to continuing this important work," Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said.

The outlet noted:

The governor and a large number of Democrats in the statehouse viewed the measure as a tool to lower housing costs. Local governments have been encouraged to pass measures to create more dense housing in recent years.

Former Lutheran minister and Democratic state Rep. Andrew Boesenecker supported the idea, too.

“We’re building housing where it makes sense, and really taking care of one of those huge question marks, which is, can we get the land, and how much does it cost?" he said.

Church leaders across the state were largely in favor of the measure, which would have allowed them to build houses on their property to serve those in need.

The opposition's point

Those in Colorado politics who opposed the measure argue that constructing housing on those lands would have usurped plans to build housing on available land that already had infrastructure in place.

The outlet noted:

They argued that building new housing where there are already amenities such as shopping, parks, and public transit made more sense.

Many religious buildings, however, have already been built in these areas.

"while state leaders have argued that housing is a matter of statewide concern, local officials say state-imposed zoning policies are at minimum an affront to local control"

:/https://t.co/RkjBFSltXK pic.twitter.com/P8XYbP81Rb

— Rachel Cohen (@rmc031) May 7, 2025

"Please for local control by state and federal leaders are just a cheap way to dodge the issue. Local control is precisely how we got into this mess in the first place. It's the very thing that needs to be reformed," one X user wrote.