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State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, who represents Arvada, is strongly opposed to the idea of imposing density on local governments.

If this was not mandated, then I think you could find a lot of agreement [on the goal of building housing, she said. But these things are mandated and it takes away local control. And I think that I would much rather take a stance of providing incentives and working collaboratively than sticks and mandates.

Other lawmakers say they support the bills central idea, but want to see more protections for the people who might be displaced by development.

State Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Democrat, said that she wanted the legislature to also enact the just cause eviction protections bill this year. Gonzales is a member of the committee that is hearing the bill.

The land-use bill is one important policy, but there are many different ways that we are working this legislative session in order to protect communities from displacement, she said.

Moreno said he supports the anti-eviction legislation.

Even if the bill clears its committee hearing on Tuesday, it could still face a tough fight in the full Senate.

This is one of those bills that doesn't fall cleanly into either partisan camp. I think it does fall into the camp of whether or not you believe in local control. So this is gonna be intense, Zenzinger said.

Democrats can afford to lose only five votes in the full chamber, assuming that no Republicans support the bill. Republicans in some states have supported similar reforms, but Colorados GOP has largely rejected the proposal, saying its an unconstitutional overreach.

Editors note: This article was updated on April 14, 2023 with additional information about the Eagle River Water & Sanitation Districts concerns and to correct the number of votes Democrats have in the Senate.

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