Housing

Boulder's housing market works well for the very wealthy, and it works for some people who qualify for deeply subsidized units. It doesn't work as well for the teachers, service workers, families with young kids, and longtime residents whose income is too high for subsidized housing and too low for what's left on the open market. It also doesn't provide enough of the housing that would make Boulder work better as a community, more resource-efficient formats, medium-sized multifamily dwellings, and walkable housing close to great transit. Closing that gap takes more homes, built at every price point, at a lower underlying cost, and located where people don't need a second car to reach daily life.

What I'm Working On

I've focused on giving middle-income families and workers a realistic path to a home in Boulder, whether that means more homes get built, those homes cost less to build in the first place, or living here costs less once you're in one.

✓ Increasing the supply of diverse middle housing types. Led land use and zoning reform in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan that newly enables and encourages more efficient, affordable housing of every variety, with a focus on 15-minute neighborhoods and transit-oriented development. Helped legalize the conversion of single-family homes near downtown and transit into duplexes, triplexes, and other middle housing, creating potential for more than 15,000 additional units (ordinance 8666), and helped adopt a form-based code enabling roughly 5,000 new homes in East Boulder (ordinance 8669). Advanced study of the Area III Planning Reserve, with potential for up to 8,700 more middle housing units, prioritizing middle-income homes on public land and infill within the city's existing footprint first.

✓ Tackling the underlying cost drivers of housing. Eliminated parking minimums for developers, cutting a major cost driver for new housing (ordinance 8696), and pushed to reduce the uncertainty and red tape that slow projects down and drive up development costs. Cast the only council vote, 1 to 8, to move the state's lot-splitting bill forward, building momentum for a policy that turns one large lot into two or three smaller, more affordable homes. Helped secure state laws restricting parking minimums statewide (HB 1304), easing accessory dwelling units (HB 1152), and expanding allowable housing near transit (HB 1313), and built a package of affordability, rights, and quality protections for manufactured housing residents.

✓ Reducing the cost of place by integrating housing and transportation. Contributed to housing and transportation options being developed together, including integrating "access," getting daily needs within reach on foot, by bike, or by transit, into city code, and championed 15-minute neighborhoods as a foundational idea in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Ended Boulder's population growth cap and outdated occupancy limits based on family relationships, both longstanding barriers to housing flexibility, and pushed to prioritize transit-oriented infill in Boulder's already urbanized areas ahead of options that would require road widening.

What's Next

I'm working to:

☐ Turn zoning reforms in the BVCP into homes that get built. Staff estimate it will be years before residents feel the change, so the next phase means focused attention on permitting, financing, and construction catching up

☐ Take on Title 9 of the city code to implement the BVCP, simplify zoning, and create a clearer, more hospitable environment for developers of housing solutions

☐ Use public land and new financing tools to bring down land costs for housing at middle-income levels, not just the lowest incomes

☐ Improve utilization of Boulder's existing building stock, including the more than 500 homes sitting empty most of the year, and expand incentives for adaptive reuse of office and commercial space into housing

☐ Expand the supply of visitable and fully accessible units, including zero-step entries, wider doorways, and ground-floor options

☐ Reach the city's goal of 15 percent permanently affordable housing citywide

What We Stand to Gain

Cut the costs of living. More homes at more price points, built at lower underlying cost, is the most direct way to bring down what it costs to live in Boulder, for renters and buyers alike.

Adapting to a changing world. A city with a wider range of housing types and price points can better absorb whatever comes next, a family that needs to downsize, a worker priced out of a single-family lot, or a senior who wants to age in place near family.

Creating a trustworthy, effective government. Turning zoning wins into homes people can actually move into, on a clear timeline and tracked publicly, is what following through looks like, instead of declaring victory at the vote.

Climate-aligned decisions. Compact, efficient housing built near transit is also lower-carbon housing, tying Boulder's affordability goals directly to its climate goals rather than treating them as separate fights.