The U.S. Senate has passed a bipartisan bill, titled “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act,” aiming to make housing more affordable. However, similar to other misleading pieces of legislation — such as the infamous Inflation Reduction Act, which is actually a massive climate-change bill that worsened inflation — this new housing bill may have the opposite effect on housing affordability than what its title suggests.
The newly introduced bill is co-led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tim Scott, R-S.C. A key assumption of the bill is that restrictive single-family zoning is a primary cause of limited housing supply and high housing costs. The legislation includes key policy proposals that Warren has previously championed, such as offering grants to state and local governments that reform exclusionary zoning rules and permit more high-density housing in areas previously designated for single-family homes.
However, the bill’s sponsors overlook empirical evidence from left-wing cities and states, such as Minneapolis, Oregon, and California, where Democrat legislatures have already effectively eliminated exclusive single-family zoning in favor of higher-density housing — the kind of reform for which Warren advocates.
A 2023 study found that upzoning resulted in an insignificant housing supply increase of less than one percent within three to nine years, offering no real improvements for low- to moderate-income renters.
Research about Minneapolis’ zoning reform shows upzoning fueled speculation, driving single-family home prices 3-5 percent higher than in comparable border areas. Similarly, post-single-family home zoning ban analyses show median home values in Oregon continued rising sharply, reaching $509,539 in May 2022, representing an increase of 19.7 percent from a year prior.
Upzoning reforms for which Warren and other Democrats advocate have clearly proven to be ineffective in achieving their goals. Instead of making housing more affordable, these policies have centralized zoning authority, eroding local control and undermining property rights.
Yet despite upzoning reform’s track record, Democrats persist in implementing these same misguided strategies across the nation. In Colorado, the Democrat legislature and Gov. Jared Polis pushed through significant new laws in 2024 aimed at increasing high-density housing and overriding local zoning decisions. HB 24-1313 forces minimum housing densities near transit in select communities, while HB 24-1304 eliminates parking requirements for multifamily developments in urban areas. Additionally, an executive order ties discretionary grants to adherence to these state housing mandates, further diminishing local autonomy.
These new state laws sparked immediate backlash. Cities including Greenwood Village, Aurora, Arvada, Westminster, Glendale, and Lafayette sued, arguing the laws violate home-rule protections in the Colorado Constitution.
In other Colorado municipalities such as Littleton, Telluride, Estes Park, and Greeley, voters overwhelmingly rejected their leftist city councils’ attempt to revise their zoning codes to permit more “middle housing” options — such as duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes — within previously single-family zones. Similarly, in California, residents of San Francisco ousted a local politician from office in a 2025 recall election for his support of upzoning reform.
Residents of Lakewood, Colorado, are the latest to join the resistance. They will head to the polls on April 7, 2026, to vote in a special election concerning a similar upzoning reform. Longtime residents, including voices like Karen Gordey, warn of threats to neighborhood character, home values, infrastructure strain, and HOA covenants, while questioning if these reforms truly solve affordability.
Homeownership of single-family homes remains a cherished goal for countless Americans. These detached homes provide essential benefits such as privacy, independence, and control over one’s living space — attributes often missing in high-density housing such as condos or apartments, which come with shared walls and little say in who will be your neighbors. This is why many Americans are willing to pay a premium for the single-family home lifestyle.
Additionally, residents of single-family communities actively invest in maintaining property values and enhancing their quality of life, fostering a sense of stewardship that is frequently absent in denser developments.
Consequently, defending single-family zoning transcends property rights — central to our freedoms — by safeguarding an American way of life that millions of individuals and families strive for and value.
If the Democrats genuinely want to address housing affordability, they must consider a range of factors, such as the significant shortage of construction workers and burdensome regulatory measures. For instance, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that Colorado’s “green” building codes could inflate construction costs by tens of thousands of dollars. Tackling these underlying issues is far more effective for creating truly affordable housing than simply adjusting upzoning regulations.
But the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in the U.S. Senate shows that not only are the Democrats resistant to learning from their policy failures, but some Republicans are also falling for misleading promises while ignoring the evidence.
In Lakewood and across the country, the battle over zoning reform pits homeowners defending the American Dream — property rights, local control, and neighborhood character — against politicians and left-wing activists pushing top-down mandates that rarely deliver on their promises.
Lakewood’s April 7 special election is no ordinary local vote. It is about answering a fundamental question: Should land-use decisions rest with the families and communities who live here or with politicians pursuing ideological agendas from above?
By voting to repeal the upzoning ordinances, Lakewood residents can reclaim local control, protect cherished neighborhoods, and inspire homeowners everywhere to defend their communities against top-down overreach. The American Dream thrives when rooted in choice, not coercion.
