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Tag: Housing affordability

High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

High Housing Costs Put Colorado Business Growth at Risk

By Sarah Mulholland | CPR News Colorado’s businesses are at risk of losing their competitive edge to companies in other states and it comes down to whether people can afford to live here, according to a report from the Romer Institute of Evidence-based Policy. The reasons behind the state’s economic headwinds are multifaceted, but one thing is clear. The housing crunch is making it harder to recruit workers, the report found. The analysis looks at Colorado’s economy relative to Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. The states were chosen because they overlap Colorado’s economy based on region or industry, and they compete for talent, investment and business location decisions, according to the Denver-based nonprofit policy group that bears the name ...
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The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

The American Dream is slipping away and socialism is filling the gap

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Not long ago, the American Dream followed a familiar script. Graduate from school, find a job, buy a modest home, start a family, and gradually build a better life than the generation before you. For many young Americans today, that script increasingly feels like historical fiction. A recent survey from Rasmussen Reports reveals a striking generational divide: younger Americans are far more likely than older voters to view socialism favorably. According to the survey, 44 percent of voters under 40 believe socialism is a better system, compared with only 12 percent of older Americans. Recent election results in New York City confirm Rasmussen’s findings.  For Americans who grew up during the Cold War — or ...
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Federal Reserve Study Connects Illegal Immigration to Housing Affordability Crisis
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Just The News, Approved, National

Federal Reserve Study Connects Illegal Immigration to Housing Affordability Crisis

By: John Solomon | Just the News Paper creates first ever calculation of how a wave of 7 million illegal immigrants from 2021 to 2024 affected local labor and housing markets. Anew Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper estimates the record surge in illegal immigration during the Biden administration boosted employment while causing 30% of home price increases and 20% of rent increases. The paper combined immigration court records with government administrative data to create the first ever calculation of how a wave of 7 million illegal immigrants from 2021 through 2024 affected local labor and housing markets. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT JUST THE NEWS
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New Study Finds Government Regulations Add Nearly $132K to the Cost of New Homes
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Fox 13 News, Approved, National

New Study Finds Government Regulations Add Nearly $132K to the Cost of New Homes

By Bradford Betz | FOX 13 News Government regulations now add roughly $132,000 to the cost of a typical newly built home, according to a new study from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), as industry leaders warn that mounting costs are worsening the nation's housing affordability challenges. The NAHB study found that regulations imposed by federal, state and local governments account for 26.4% of the final price of a new single-family home. Applied to the average sales price of a new home in January, the regulatory burden totals approximately $131,734 per house. The estimate is based on Census Bureau data showing the average sales price of a newly built home sold in January was $499,500. The report comes as housing affordability remains ...
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Colorado Growth Slows as Population Gains Concentrate in Fewer Counties
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Growth Slows as Population Gains Concentrate in Fewer Counties

By Mark Samuelson | The Denver Gazette Population growth in Colorado, which had helped drive the region’s burgeoning economy over recent years, has slowed markedly. In metro Denver, the growth areas are concentrated in only a handful of counties, according to a new report. From 2024 to 2025 the state added just 33,151 residents, marking one of the lowest annual growth cycles it had posted over the past decade, according to a study issued last week by the Greenwood Village-based Common Sense Institute. That recent total shows Colorado’s annual population growth having slipped by some 60% from 2015, a summary of the study concluded. During the span of 2015 to 2016, Colorado saw a population increase of 83,036, the study said. Meanwhile, although recent data show t...
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Polis Pushes Back As Employers Cite Rising Challenges In Colorado Economy
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis Pushes Back As Employers Cite Rising Challenges In Colorado Economy

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics How does Colorado get back to the climate in the early 2000s, when there was collaboration between state government, companies and colleges and universities? That was the question posed to Gov. Jared Polis and a panel convened Tuesday by the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce as part of its annual state of the state luncheon that follows the end of the legislative session. Mowa Haile, the CEO of Sky Blue Builders who chairs the chamber board, noted that, in the last year, the state has gained more than $2 billion in capital investment, along with 1,000 jobs. Colorado is still an amazing state, he said. “But we see cracks,” Haile said. Several issues today make Colorado less competitive for businesses, he said,...
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Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues
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Fox21, Approved, State

Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues

By Carolynn Felling | FOX21 News (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser debated in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 3, outlining their distinct visions for addressing Colorado’s cost-of-living crisis. The two candidates are running for the governor’s office in the upcoming June primary election. Their campaigns show differences in strategies to tackle issues like housing affordability, health care costs, and support for the next generation. Both Sen. Bennet and Attorney General Weiser acknowledge the critical urgency of Colorado’s affordability challenges. However, their proposed solutions present divergent paths for the state’s future. Their debate highlighted a division on how to best move Colorado forward. The debate brought ...
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Colorado’s Rise In Independent Voters Reflects Growing Party Discontent
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s Rise In Independent Voters Reflects Growing Party Discontent

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The results of a new poll erode the assumption that the growing share of unaffiliated voters in the state in recent years — who as of Dec. 1 made up half of active, registered voters — has been caused by automatic voter registration. The vast majority of unaffiliated voters in Colorado say they intentionally registered that way, according to findings from a new poll, eroding the assumption that the growing share of unaffiliated voters in the state in recent years has been caused by automatic voter registration.  Under a 2019 law, people are automatically registered to vote when they have an interaction with the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. They’re registered as unaffiliated unless and until they a...
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Colorado Senate advances bill limiting local control over housing projects
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado Senate advances bill limiting local control over housing projects

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers spent part of the week hashing out just how much the state should push new housing. The Senate approved House Bill 26-1001—after several amendments. Those amendments were agreed upon by the House the next day. Land that is already owned by institutions or the government is the main focus of the bill. If the measure is eventually passed into law, property owned by school districts, housing authorities, universities, transit agencies, and some nonprofit organizations may be eligible for a simplified approval process. Supporters say some of that property is sitting unused. If approvals were easier, they argue, some of it could be turned into housing. During the bill’s second reading, Senator Tony E...
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The ROAD to Housing scarcity: Hidden provision in Senate housing bill may kill build-to-rent
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

The ROAD to Housing scarcity: Hidden provision in Senate housing bill may kill build-to-rent

By Booker Lightman | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice How a Senate bill to increase construction will do the opposite You may have heard about a bipartisan omnibus bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate, called the ROAD to Housing Act. From the name, you might think it’s about promoting housing construction, and that’s indeed how it’s being sold in the media.  Yet a provision recently added to the bill, which forces build-to-rent companies to sell their homes within seven years, would cripple housing production and drive up housing costs for everyone. Why is the forced sale provision bad?  The seven-year deadline would incentivize builders to prioritize speed over quality and hide defects rather than take the time to fix them. It would...
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