Golden, Colorado resident and real estate broker Daniel Hayes is pushing for Ballot Initiative 66 to be put on the November ballot limiting residential building permits.
The initiative would restrict the new permits in 10 counties to 1 percent of current housing inventory in 2019 and 2020. “I think the slower growth would be a great benefit,” Hayes told The Denver Post. “Cities with slow growth have highest-paying jobs. Look at Denver and Boulder. Rapid growth raises the price of land and makes it hard for industry to move in. Amazon would be a lot more likely to settle here if we are controlling growth.”
The initiative has a long way to go before the ballot. It is under review by the Colorado Supreme Court to guarantee that its title and content meet the state’s single-subject rule, meant to ensure that ballot initiatives are narrowly tailored to one subject or purpose. If the initiative meets that threshold, Hayes and supporters will need to collect the signatures of more than 98,000 Colorado voters to get it on the ballot.
