Aurora and five suburban cities are suing the state of Colorado and Gov. Jared Polis in an attempt to block two land-use bills passed last year that seek to build more housing.
The lawsuit was filed in Denver District Court on Monday by the cities of Arvada, Aurora, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Lafayette and Westminster.
They argue that two bills signed into law by Polis in 2024 — which seek to increase density and eliminate parking requirements near transit stops — violate the provision of the Colorado Constitution that gives local governments the authority to set rules within their own jurisdictions.
The municipalities also contend that an executive order signed by Polis on Friday is unconstitutional. In that order, the governor directed several state agencies to prioritize giving more than $100 million in various state grants to cities that comply with the recent land-use reforms, including those challenged in the lawsuit.
In statements, officials from some of the cities that filed the lawsuit accused the state and lawmakers of stripping local residents of their voice in local planning decisions, in favor of what the opponents called a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Read the full story from our partners at The Denver Post.
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