I was disappointed to see a recent Gazette column mischaracterizing
Colorado’s new transit-oriented development standards. Property owners
will not be forced to build anything against their will, and the state
is not mandating apartment complexes. Any claims otherwise are false.For decades, it has been local governments, not the state, that imposed
mandates limiting what property owners can do with their land. Those
rules have fueled sprawl, inflated housing costs, and eaten away at open
space. The new law asks cities to roll back some of these restrictions
and allow more homes near transit – but only if property owners choose
to build them, making housing supply more responsive to demand.Since
2017, average home prices in Colorado Springs have jumped 64%. That’s a
crisis of insufficient housing supply. As a community, we clearly do
not view sprawl as an answer, demonstrated by our broad rejection of the
Karman Line annexation. Our region must instead make room for more
housing choices where people already live, work and play.This
policy is not “one size fits all.” Cities retain flexibility to decide
how best to comply. In fact, Colorado Springs may already meet the
minimum requirements. By refusing to report our numbers to the state,
we’re shutting ourselves out of $280 million in potential funding – even
as the city faces a budget shortfall.Transit-oriented
development doesn’t mean towers springing up overnight. It means
gradual, community-driven changes creating mixed-use neighborhoods where
residents can live closer to jobs, schools, parks, and shops. This is
how many of our most cherished neighborhoods, from downtown to Hillside,
Old Colorado City, Mid Shooks Run, Roswell, Patty Jewett, and the Old
North End, were originally built.We can maintain that core
community character by reclaiming the flexibility that enabled us to
build those neighborhoods. Let’s join the rest of the state in choosing a
more affordable, attainable shared future.

Stephanie Vigil is the former State Representative for House District 16.