A Summer Update from DOLA’s Land Use Planning Unit
Happy Summer, Colorado!
As summer officially kicks off, bringing full blooms and the laughter of kids on break, we're celebrating a milestone: the six-month mark of DOLA's Land Use Planning and Housing Technical Assistance Unit!
I'm incredibly proud of the state's laser focus on our affordable housing needs, and deeply grateful for the talented, dedicated public servants on my team and within the Community Development Office.
Our small team of land use planners and data analysts supports our local government partners who are taking action to deliver more housing. For communities working on compliance with recently passed land use and housing legislation, or those looking to opt in, we provide technical assistance, courtesy reviews, guidance, tools, and consultation. Our website is full of resources and we are eager to help. Please don't hesitate to reach out!
Also, keep an eye out for CDO and the broader DOLA team out and about in your communities! DOLA Executive Director, Maria De Cambra, will be presenting on challenges, opportunities and what’s new at DOLA, and Anne Miller, Director of the Colorado Resiliency Office, will be discussing the Wildfire Resiliency Code at the Annual CML Conference next week. We hope to see you in beautiful Breckenridge!
All the best,
Eugene Howard, Unit Manager, Land Use Planning and Housing
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Land Use and Housing Implementation Updates
New Strategic Growth Compliance and Framework Available
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has published new Compliance Framework and Guidelines as required by an Executive Order (EO) Regarding Strategic Growth through Compliance with State Laws (D 2025 005) issued by Governor Polis on May 16, 2025.
The EO and Compliance Framework and Guidelines provide guidance for State agencies responsible for the implementation of seven laws included in the 2024 and 2025 strategic growth legislation and for the local governments subject to those laws. The new material outlines the framework, criteria, and benchmarks that will be used to certify Strategic Growth Compliant Local Governments for the purpose of establishing priority for state Funding Opportunities.
DOLA’s Community Development Office team continues to make itself available to local governments seeking assistance in complying with the new laws and the Executive Order with extensive information on the laws subject to the Executive Order available on the land use and housing legislation website.
CDO to Present on SB24-174 Strategic Growth Report at Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute
CDO staff will be presenting at a webinar hosted by Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute on June 24, 2025, at 12 p.m. to seek stakeholder input for the Strategic Growth Report.
The Report, due to the state legislature by October 31, 2025, as directed by SB24-174, is intended to prompt a statewide conversation on the intersections between housing, transportation, infrastructure, water; and why the way we grow is important to an affordable and sustainable Colorado.
The law states that the report must include two major elements:
- A land use scenario analysis; and
- Land use policy recommendations.
The webinar intends to spark high-level discussion around what stakeholders see as pressing policy issues, with a particular focus on infrastructure (water, electric, utilities, maintenance costs and growth patterns, etc,) that is critical to the state's goals yet not always in the headlines.
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New Land Use and Housing Grants Webpage
Grant programs relating to State Land Use and Housing Laws can now be found on our Land Use and Housing Grants webpage, providing a convenient way to learn about grant opportunities and connect with our grant specialists.
Proposition 123 Fast Track Self-Assessment
DOLA has a new downloadable "self-assessment" checklist that is intended to help local governments self-assess whether their existing or proposed Fast Track/Expedited Review Process for Affordable Housing aligns with the statutory requirements of Proposition 123.
We recommend completing this checklist before submitting documentation to the Proposition 123 Expedited Review Reporting Portal.
Resource Spotlight: 2025 Land Use Survey - Deadline EXTENDED to July 11, 2025
 The Department of Local Affairs, in partnership with the Colorado Municipal League, Colorado Counties, Inc., and the American Planning Association Colorado Chapter, launched the Colorado Land Use Survey to better understand the planning practices of Colorado local governments. DOLA issues this survey approximately every five years to assess the planning needs and trends across our state.
Aggregated results from this survey will be used to inform DLG on local government funding and assistance needs, inform policy makers, and aid in planning research. It will NOT be used to assess compliance with recent land use legislation. Your voice, experience, and expertise are essential to ensuring the results are valid, representative, and impactful.
To ensure broad representation in our findings, we've extended the survey deadline to July 11, 2025. If you haven’t participated yet, now’s the perfect time to represent your municipality or county!
- The survey should be filled out by a local planner or someone with knowledge of land use issues in the municipality or county.
- The survey takes 20-30 minutes to complete.
- Those who complete the survey will be entered to win a free annual American Planning Association (APA) subscription, thanks to the generosity of APA Colorado!
Please reach out to Emma Scheetz (Land Use Survey Administrator) with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.
Final Draft of EV Charging Model Land Use Code Now Ready
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has published a final draft of the Colorado EV Charging Model Land Use Code, which includes recommended land use permitting standards and processes for EV charging projects.
Local governments may use the Model Code to comply with the law or as a resource to update their land use regulations to streamline the EV charging permitting process and support EV charging in their communities.
You may sign up to request code adoption support and/or sign up for staff trainings using this form. For more information, please visit the CEO website or contact Jaxon Fagan at CEO.
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Funding
Housing Planning Grant Program (HPLN) Funding Cycle Open Through July 11, 2025
The second round of the Housing Planning Grant (HPLN) Program opened June 9 and will close July 11, 2025. This program offers grant funds to support housing needs assessments, housing action plans, and comprehensive plans elements (strategic growth and water supply). Program guidelines, application materials, and other relevant information are available on the program website, and interested applicants should email Program Manager Ashley Basham to discuss your project.
Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant (ADUG) Program Funding Cycle Opening Soon
The Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant (ADUG) Program enacted by HB24-1152 will provide grants to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) Supportive Jurisdictions for activities that promote the construction of ADUs. ADUG’s first round of funding will be open August 1 - 29, 2025.
Proposition 123 Incentive Funds for Early Adoption of Fast-Track
Reminder: $2 million is available to reward early adoption of expedited review or fast track policies for Proposition 123-eligible local governments. Local governments that adopt a Proposition 123-compliant expedited review process by December 31, 2025 (one year ahead of the December 2026 deadline) will receive up to $50,000 in planning grant funding, with no local match required.
Community Development Block Grant - Design, Engineering, and Environmental Clearance (CDBGPF-DEEC)
The CDBGPF-DEEC Grant program offers financial assistance for eligible applicants to complete their design, engineering, and environmental clearance activities for an eligible CDBGPF project. Eligible activities include design, engineering, planning, feasibility studies, and environmental clearance. The maximum grant award for the CDBGPF-DEEC program is $100,000.
The CDBGPF-DEEC grant application will be open July 1 - September 1, 2025.
Program Overview Meeting
A CDBGPF-DEEC Overview meeting with Q&A will be held on June 25, 2025 at 1 p.m.
Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Natural Disaster Mitigation Enterprise Grant Cycle Open Through August 9, 2025
The Natural Disaster Mitigation Enterprise (NDME) grant is open for the second round in 2025. NDME will fund local governments to implement resilience and natural disaster mitigation measures and will match funds required by federal grants dedicated to implementing pre-disaster natural disaster mitigation measures. NDME also provides technical assistance to local governments on natural disaster mitigation.
Please direct questions to the NDME Administrator, Ilima Kane.
Colorado Energy Office (CEO) Local IMPACT Accelerator
CEO’s Local Implementation, Mitigation, and Policy Action (Local IMPACT) Accelerator will provide a total $50 million in grants to support local governments with policy adoption to bolster local resilience, reduce emissions, and advance other state priorities, such as improved air quality.
The program is open June 16 - July 1, 2025. Funding for this program comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program.
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