Colorado’s starter home problem isn’t just “housing is expensive” - it’s zoning, process, and a system that keeps saying yes to big homes and no to first-time buyers. Tune in if you want the simplest breakdown of why starter homes disappeared - and what cities can actually do about it. Don Elliott and Heidi Williams laid it out:

• Smaller homes on smaller lots can change the math fast.

• Duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes can create more ownership options.

• Speed matters, because every extra hearing adds cost and uncertainty.

The real shift? Stop debating every project like it’s a popularity contest and set the rules up front. That’s where the Future Housing Toolkit comes in: a menu of options for local governments, builders, and planners who are ready to move. If your city keeps talking about affordability but never changes the code, you'll want to listen.

CSI CEO Cinamon Watson discusses the 2026 Colorado ballot initiatives with CSI's Mike A. Leprino Free Enterprise Fellow, Ross Kaminsky

REPORTS REFERENCED

• “The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Proposition NN” (CSI, August 2026) — https://commonsenseinstituteus.org/research/the-economic-and-fiscal-impacts-of-proposition-nn/

• “How Initiative #195’s Progressive Tax Structure Would Affect Colorado’s Economy” (CSI, June 2026) — https://commonsenseinstituteus.org/research/how-initiative-195s-progressive-tax-structure-would-affect-colorados-economy/

• “Colorado Initiative 232: Income Tax Rate Cap” (CSI, August 2026) — https://commonsenseinstituteus.org/research/colorado-initiative-232-income-tax-rate-cap/

This episode of Common Sense Unfiltered features experts discussing the trajectory of CSI Iowa, the economic impact of restricting interchange fees in Iowa, and analyzing Iowa HSB 324, as well as exploring the broader implications for small businesses, consumers, and the economy.

Resources:

CSI Iowa Report: The Economic Impact of Restricting Interchange Fees in Iowa - https://csinstituteia.org/research/impact-of-restricting-interchange-fees

Common Sense Institute Iowa - https://csinstituteia.org