The campaign known as “YIGBY” – “Yes in God’s Backyard” – to allow churches, school districts, colleges, and universities to build affordable housing on their land failed in the waning days of the Colorado legislative session. 

House Bill 1169 would have required local governments to allow residential development on land owned by those institutions.

The bill has sat in the state Senate, awaiting debate, since it cleared the Senate’s Local Government and Housing Committee on March 27. 

On Monday, its sponsors, Sens. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, acknowledged the bill didn’t have the votes to pass and asked that it be laid over to May 8, the day after the session’s end, which effectively would kill the bill.

Exum told Colorado Politics his church in Colorado Springs, Solid Rock, has already constructed affordable housing on its site, although the contractor has run into problems with subcontractors getting paid for their work.

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In a statement after the bill cleared the House, Speaker Pro Tem Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, noted the state’s housing shortage is in excess of 100,000 units. 

“Religious groups and schools that want to be a part of the solution should be able to build more homes that people can afford,” he said. “From supporting low-income communities to attracting quality educators, the missions of churches, synagogues, and schools often align with our state’s need for more housing. By cutting red tape, this policy is a meaningful solution that will open up thousands of acres of land across our state to help save Coloradans money on housing.”

Gov. Jared Polis is believed to be supportive of the policy.

Local governments, including counties and municipalities, which have seen affordable housing mandates on zoning imposed by the Colorado General Assembly over the past several years, objected to HB 1169. 

Under the bill, local governments could not reject the construction of a residential development due to height, as long as the development is no taller than three stories or 45 feet or adheres to the standards of the zoning district or to the standards that apply to contiguous parcels.

HB 1169 prohibits local governments from restricting construction based on the number of units, with some exceptions, or from applying standards that are more restrictive than those that they apply to similar housing developments in their jurisdictions relating to structure setbacks from property lines, lot coverage or open space, on-site parking requirements, the number of bedrooms in a multi-family residential development, or on-site landscaping, screening, and buffering requirements.

The bill also states that, if zoning allows, these developments could also include child care centers and facilities that provide recreational, social, or educational services, with some restrictions. 

The bill is supported by affordable housing advocates, churches, Ski Country USA, homebuilders, unions and AARP.