GOVERNOR'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NEWSLETTER

 OCCUPANCY LIMITS ENDED + STATE PARK MARCH MADNESS CHAMPION

Dear fellow Coloradans, 

This has been another busy month focused on delivering real solutions to Coloradans on everything from reducing housing costs to improving safety on our roads. To see more from my visits around Colorado, check out my Instagram!



Last week, Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, joined us on a visit to the I-70 Floyd Hill Project between Evergreen and Idaho Springs. 

Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, and Representative Neguse joined me at Floyd Hill’s groundbreaking in October, 2022. This was made possible by our bold state investments, combined with a $100 million federal grant from the Biden administration. 

The project, included in my administration’s 10-Year Vision Plan, will add a new westbound lane to reduce traffic, minimize congestion, and provide Coloradans with easier travel into Colorado’s iconic Rocky Mountains. Other improvements include: 

• Rebuilding highly used bridges
• Create a frontage road to improve emergency response 
• Extend the on-ramp from US 6 to allow for safer merging 
• Improve roadway curves that create dangerously short lines of sight for drivers

Improvements to Floyd Hill will ensure the flow of commerce moving through the I-70 corridor and that Coloradans can travel from the front range to the mountains safely, more quickly, and with less traffic and congestion.

To celebrate Colorado’s 42 state parks, I hosted a “March Madness” bracket where Coloradans voted on their favorite park. The finalists came down to Golden Gate Canyon State Park and Staunton State Park, and Coloradans chose Staunton. 

Staunton State Park opened to the public in May 2013, becoming the 41st Colorado State Park. The park is home to the Track Chair Program, which breaks down barriers to access by providing access to motorized wheelchairs, making it easier for everyone to explore Colorado’s public lands. Staunton hosts a range of park activities throughout the year, including everything from camping, hiking, archery, fishing, education programs and more.  

In 2021, I signed legislation creating the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, which reduced Colorado’s state parks pass to just $29, breaking down barriers to the outdoors. The pass became available on January 3, 2023. Coloradans who qualify can also sign up for the Centennial State Park Pass, which costs just $14. I also signed legislation creating the Outdoor Equity Grant Fund, which has provided 106 awards and over $5.5 million to organizations that help more Coloradans and Colorado kids access Colorado's great outdoors.

This year I continue to focus on making housing more affordable in Colorado and called for the end of occupancy limits that result in discrimination in my 2024 State of the State address and outlined this as an important strategy to increase Colorado’s housing opportunities in my Roadmap to a Future Colorado 2026. Last year, I signed legislation that banned growth caps in Colorado, breaking down artificial barriers to more housing options for every Colorado budget.

Upholding my promise, on April 15th I signed the bipartisan HB24-1007, Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits, sponsored by Representatives Manny Rutinel and Javier Mabrey, and Senators Tony Exum and Julie Gonzales, eliminating discriminatory occupancy limits in Colorado and expanding housing opportunities Coloradans can afford. This bold step cuts red tape and gets the government out of the business of telling people who they can live with. The bill sponsors and I were joined on the west steps of the state capitol by Coloradans in support of this new law. I remain focused on lowering the cost of housing by increasing housing options Coloradans can afford near job centers and reliable transportation options. 

The Colorado Energy Office and I are pleased to announce that Colorado will receive a $156 million award from the Environmental Protection Agency through its Solar for All Competition. The award, which is part of the Inflation Reduction Act Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will support rooftop solar installations and community solar programs for single-family and multifamily housing in low-and moderate-income Colorado communities. This funding will move us one step closer to our goal of 100% clean energy by 2040 while improving air quality, lowering energy bills, and increasing energy independence.

If you have an event you would like us to highlight, please fill out this event submission form.

• Southwest Vida Fun Run - Southwest Vida welcomes runners and walkers of all levels to their annual Fun Run & Walk, hosted at Garfield Lake Park. Registration is free, and all participants will receive a t-shirt, water bottle, and gift bag with coupons from local businesses.

• Community Engagement Newsletter 03-04-24
• Community Engagement Newsletter 12-14-24

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