CO: Denver, Fort Collins, Longmont get first $13.3M for transit hub housing

Colorado leaders took the first steps last week toward funding the development of more dense, affordable housing near transit, awarding $13.3 million in grants to projects in metro Denver, Fort Collins, and Longmont.

More grants are planned in 2027 under a controversial 2024 law that requires cities to make plans and allow increased housing concentrated around bus and train hubs. Six municipalities ( Aurora, Arvada, Lafayette, Glendale, Greenwood Village, and Westminster) have filed a lawsuit challenging the law as an unconstitutional state government intrusion on local authority to determine land use.

Gov. Jared Polis has led the push and announced the grants, declaring in a statement that “building more housing Coloradans can afford near transit centers is an important way to increase housing options, protect our environment, and save Coloradans time and money.”

The $13.3 million was awarded for the following projects:

• Developing the Switchgrass Crossing 45-apartment “infill” complex in Fort Collins, reserved for adults aged 55 or older with individual incomes between $27,000 and $54,000, next to a bus station, where funds were needed for utility connections and stormwater drainage ($792,000)
• Construction of a transit-oriented hub in downtown Longmont with up to 300 apartments, shops, 700 vehicle parking spaces, bays for 10 buses, and parking spots for scooters and bicycles ($4 million)
• Building a pedestrian bridge that crosses Interstate 25 and train tracks in Denver near the Regional Transportation District Broadway Station,  designed to help residents of a proposed Archway Gates complex of 175 apartments for people with individual incomes under $59,000 ($4 million)
• Installing sidewalks, landscaping, lights, and water drainage along roads in Wheat Ridge near a housing complex that includes 200 subsidized apartments (individual incomes under $59,000) so that residents can more easily reach public transit ($4.5 million)

The amount of the Colorado Transit Oriented Communities Infrastructure grants to be awarded in 2027 hasn’t been determined, according to state officials, who have been guiding local governments in planning denser housing, typically around 40 apartments per acre.

Colorado’s transit-oriented development and other strategic growth laws apply to 32 municipalities along the Front Range. In October, 10 had not complied with the requirements of the transit-oriented communities law, and 18% had not complied with a law requiring cities to allow development of accessory dwelling units as housing, according to a Colorado Department of Local Affairs report. Polis last summer directed state agencies to factor in compliance with the laws when evaluating which cities should receive state grants.

“The state is trying to punish local governments who are listening to their residents and trying to achieve growth goals based on what residents want,” Colorado Municipal League director Kevin Bommer said.”The state, through its legislative efforts, is trying to mandate density and then the transit may or may not come later — instead of first guaranteeing a reliable transit system and then letting local governments determine the development road map.”

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Visit at denverpost.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.