Housing Crisis - Rocky Mountain Voice

Priced out, packed in: Colorado renters squeezed by costs, policy gridlock and population growth

Colorado’s affordable housing crunch – especially in the rental sector – has been building for years. Reports from the Common Sense Institute and Bell Policy Center trace the tipping point to around 2015, when demand consistently began outpacing supply.

The last decade has seen rising home prices, stagnant wages and insufficient new construction which has made the situation worse due to recent immigration pressures and allegations of resource allocation issues.

Walcher: We built it, and they still won’t come

GregWalcher.com, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice / April 29, 2025 / Economic development, Government overregulation, Housing Crisis, Land use policy, Mesa County, Permitting reform

Building a new subdivision is complicated. Almost every city and county in America have master plans dictating “conforming uses” of land. Most specify lot and home sizes, rules for vehicle access, water supply, sewage disposal, flood control, affordable housing, and park space. Those are addressed in lengthy application processes and public hearings, all preceding building the infrastructure, and then the homes.

The National Association of Home Builders says government regulations account for 24 percent of the final price of new homes. Sixty percent of that comes during planning and development, only 40 percent during actual construction.

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