The ambiguity in the law will make it easier for anti-growth activists to bring development to a halt by filing lawsuits. Using a similar tactic in the federal courts, environmental groups shut down most timber cutting in the national forest. Because of the uncertainty about where growth will be allowed in Colorado, companies will locate in other states, says Paulson, whose group is called Coloradans for Sensible Reform. Initially, housing prices will go up as the market anticipates the impending scarcity of new units, Paulson says. But then prices will plummet as a faltering economy shuts off growth and kills the demand for housing, he says.
Many city officials say they are already managing growth.
They also point to intergovernmental compacts to limit growth. Under the Thornton plan, the city will grow from 26 square miles to more than 50 square miles. But the growth would occur over many years at a rate of no more than 1,300 homes per year. Amendment 24 would interfere with the plan, Busck says. For example, the city is considering the possibility of a regional shopping center near the proposed interchange at Interstate 25 and 144th Avenue.