Worried about the cost of renting and buying a home, Colorado voters are backing several concepts that lawmakers are exploring at the state Capitol, notably allowing what’s called accessory dwelling units and ceding some local control.   

In a new Keating Research poll, 95% of those surveyed said home prices continue to be “a problem” at some level.

The polls offers another backdrop of the housing crisis that is plaguing Colorado, driven by numerous factors, notably spiking property values and the lack of housing units. After failing to pass a comprehensive housing bill last year, lawmakers are trying again this year.     

Seven in 10 respondents said they do not think local municipalities at the city and county levels are doing enough to reduce the cost of renting or buying homes, and the majority appears to support ideas that Gov. Jared Polis and his allies in the Colorado General Assembly are pushing.

Polis has focused on housing and affordability in his last two State of the State addresses.

Respondents also said they would support legislation giving the state more control over cities and counties who they believe are not doing enough on local levels to address the housing issues.

About 68% of the survey participants also said they would support a state law requiring cities and counties to allow more housing to be built near business and shopping districts, bus stops, and train stations, providing financial assistance to cities and counties for these projects. 

The results of the Keating poll, which Centennial State Prosperity commissioned, are based on a sample of 1,277 registered voters in Colorado. The survey was conducted using a hybrid methodology, including 877 live-interviewer telephone surveys and 400 surveys completed among an online panel.

The poll, taken in January, showed 80% of those surveyed thought the current cost of housing is a “major problem. Only 15% said it is a “minor problem,” while 4% said it’s not a problem at all.

“This illuminating research confirmed the experiences of countless Colorado working families, small business owners, seniors, and young people across the state who simply can’t find housing options that are affordable,” said Austin Blumenfeld, executive director of Centennial State Prosperity. “Colorado now has the fifth highest housing costs in the country, and the reality is many people can’t afford a roof over their head, no matter how many hours they are working.”

Voters back ADUs, poll says

About 78% of those surveyed said they support a state law that would allow accessory dwelling units to be built on single-family home properties.

ADUs are smaller smaller housing units that can look like a converted garage, so-called “granny flats” or stand-alone units. 

This year’s House Bill 1152 seeks to increase the number of accessory dwelling units, aka “granny flats,” that can be built on existing property.

About 72% of respondents said they would support a state law requiring local governments to develop plans that estimate how much housing is needed in their communities and to adopt policies that provide enough new units to meet needs.

Affordability is notably a big concern for voters, but new home construction has failed to keep up with growth in Colorado, a state that, between 2010 and 2020, grew twice as fast as the rest of the country.

The question of affordability is also occurring at a time some cities and counties are imposing caps on new home construction and stricter parameters on where multi-family units can be built.  

In 2023, the state legislature tried to intervene via Senate Bill 23-213, a land use measure that would have taken local control from cities and counties and set mandates for greater housing density and reduced parking requirements.

The bill ultimately failed after local governments, notably county commissioners and councils, fought it.

About a half-dozen new bills have been introduced so far this year on housing.

A separate poll, conducted by Magellan Strategies last year, showed that  Coloradans largely want to see their local governments do more on the issue of affordable housing and believe the state is not the right entity for handling those issues.

That poll, which surveyed 779 registered voters last month, looked at many of the housing and land use policies debated in the legislature’s 2023 session, including the governor’s major housing proposal. 

Among that survey’s findings was 73% believe local government should do more on their community’s affordable housing policies but the same number said they do not think their local affordable housing and land use policies are working. At the same time, respondents also said (67%) the state should do more on affordable housing policies.

Regardless, respondents said they are more likely to trust their local governments to handle affordable housing, not the state government, by a margin of 48% to 29%. Similar results were found when asked who they would trust on land use decisions, with local government on top by a margin of 54% to 28%.

Only 26% believe affordable housing and land use policies determined by the state are more effective than local government policies in addressing the affordable housing problem. Another 49% said local government is more effective.