Colorado considers using public land for affordable housing

By JESSE BEDAYN
Associated Press/Report for America

DENVER (AP) — Colorado lawmakers are wading into the housing crisis with a proposal to free up vacant parcels of state-owned land that could be leased or sold at a discount for affordable housing projects. The proposal is part of a snowballing trend kicked off by cities utilizing city-owned parcels and has since spawned requests to the federal government to open up land for residential development. The bill was the Colorado Senate’s first of the session, emphasizing lawmakers’ focus on housing. It passed in Colorado’s Senate housing committee last month. Colorado owns about 55 vacant parcels, including about a dozen in and around Denver, that could potentially be used for affordable housing.