ABOUT US

Advocating for Housing Affordability in Colorado

The Colorado Housing Affordability Project (CHAP) was created by a diverse group of professionals and academics in urban planning, housing economics, public policy, law, and real estate development.  Through our daily work and lived experience, we have witnessed the root causes and harmful effects of high housing costs in Colorado.  Our motivation to establish CHAP was premised upon our collective personal and professional interest in achieving meaningful reforms to our state’s land use regulatory system to increase the supply of housing that is affordable for all Coloradans.

These reforms are necessary to ensure that Colorado remains a place where opportunity thrives for people of all backgrounds and income levels.  CHAP is engaging in state and local advocacy for legislation to promote the preservation and development of affordable housing in Colorado, and to encourage equitable access to opportunity across all racial, ethnic, social, and income groups. CHAP invites you to join in our efforts.

Thanks to Governor Polis and the Colorado Legislature

We are pleased to announce that, as of 2024, most of our policy platform is now law in Colorado! CHAP thanks all of its organizational and individual supporters and partners for their efforts in securing a more affordable future for Colorado.

Our work includes the following:

  • Compile and disseminate existing research on the economic, social, racial, ethnic, and natural environmental consequences of high housing costs in Colorado, and how local land use regulation has exacerbated—or mitigated—these consequences.
  • Educate community members, housing developers, urban planners, government officials, and others on the ways that land use regulations have affected housing costs, and how such regulations might be utilized to reduce housing cost burdens on Colorado families.
  • Advocate for legislative actions that, if implemented at the state or local levels in Colorado, would eliminate significant barriers to the preservation and construction of attainable housing and alleviate the above-referenced cost burdens.

CHAP’s founding working group includes the following individuals:

  • Heidi Aggeler, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Root Policy Research
  • Erin F. Clark, Chief Real Estate Investment Officer, Denver Housing Authority
  • Brian J. Connolly, Assistant Professor of Business Law, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
  • Susan D. Daggett, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • Donald L. Elliott, FAICP, Senior Consultant, Clarion Associates, LLC; Lecturer, University of Colorado Denver, College of Architecture and Planning
  • Sean Maley, Partner & Chief Business Development Officer, CRL Associates, Inc.

OUR PLATFORM

Tackling all of the problems that contribute to Colorado’s high housing costs is a big task. CHAP’s initial area of focus is: removing zoning barriers to the development of affordable forms of housing.

THE ISSUES

Colorado’s economy continues to grow, yet housing construction has not kept up. This hurts all of us, particularly lower- to middle-income workers.

THE RESEARCH

Research shows that unaffordable housing slows economic growth, changes the makeup of our neighborhoods, and hurts the environment by promoting sprawl and traffic. Building housing in the right places in our communities is a win-win for our families, our communities, and our economy.