HBA of Metro Denver CEO Report | June 30, 2026
Ted Leighty, CEO, HBA of Metro Denver
As we prepare for the 2026 Parade of Homes and Industry Night, I'm reminded that our association's greatest strength is the people behind it. Builders, developers, trade partners, suppliers, architects, lenders and industry professionals all play an essential role in creating great communities to meet our region’s housing needs. Every home built represents countless hours of collaboration, innovation and craftsmanship, and events like the Parade and Industry Night give us an opportunity to celebrate those accomplishments while introducing prospective homebuyers to the incredible housing opportunities across our region.
The 2026 Parade will run from August 6 to 23 and will feature an outstanding lineup of builders and communities stretching across metro Denver—from Longmont to Castle Rock and Arvada to Aurora—and, for the first time, extending into Grand County with new homes in Winter Park. Parade attendees will experience everything from thoughtfully designed townhomes and paired homes to luxurious custom residences, all while discovering the latest trends in architecture, interior design, outdoor living, technology and energy-efficient construction.
We're launching a new mobile app that will make planning tours easier than ever. Guests will be able to browse homes, map their route, save favorites, purchase tickets and vote for both the People's Choice Awards and Designer Challenge directly from their phones.
Every Parade ticket supports the Home Builders Foundation, helping improve independence and quality of life for individuals and families living with disabilities throughout our community. It's another reminder that our industry's impact extends well beyond the homes we build.
Before the Parade officially opens, I hope you'll join us for Industry Night on Thursday, August 6. This year’s event is hosted by Westerly, a Southern Land Company community at 86 Westerly Boulevard in Erie.
Industry Night is a great opportunity for our industry to come together, welcome new members, strengthen business relationships and celebrate another successful year of homebuilding. This year's "A Taste of Nashville" promises an unforgettable evening. Guests will tour beautifully appointed model homes while enjoying Southern-inspired food and beverages and live music.
I encourage you to register and bring members of your team. It's one of the best events each year to build relationships that lead to future partnerships and business opportunities. Please click here for more information and to register for Industry Night.
While we're looking forward to celebrating together, the HBA continues to work every day on the advocacy issues that matter to our members and our industry’s success.
Following more than a year of engagement and advocacy by the HBA and our Joint Task Force, the Commerce City Council approved several reductions to development fees. These changes are expected to reduce the cost of building a new home in the city by more than $6,500 while simplifying the development-review process. At a time when affordability remains one of the greatest challenges facing homebuyers, reducing unnecessary costs is a meaningful step toward making housing more attainable. We appreciate Commerce City’s elected officials and staff for listening to our industry and working collaboratively toward practical solutions that benefit both the community and future homeowners.
The Town of Erie, however, recently adopted a new Water Allocation Policy—passed to address the town’s limited water supplies—that will significantly increase residential water impact fees. Although we recognize the challenges communities face in planning for long-term water resources, these changes will undoubtedly affect the cost and pace of future residential development. The HBA continues to advocate for greater collaboration between the Town and the residential development community and will continue to monitor the implementation of the policy and propose cost offsets. We have recently requested more detailed information from the Town on its existing water resources, the past costs to acquire water rights, and current water usage by newer, more efficient homes. We hope to use this information as part of discussions on appropriate impact fees and other costs imposed on new homes by the Town when addressing its water resources.
Finally, as you read this, Coloradans will be casting their final votes in numerous primaries across our region and state. The Metro Housing Coalition, the HBA’s political advisory committee, has endorsed several candidates running for county commissioner. If you live in Douglas County, please consider supporting John Diak in the Republican primary. In Elbert County, the MHC is supporting Dallas Schroeder in the Republican primary, and in Adams County, the MHC is supporting Karen DeAugero in the Democratic commissioner primary.
In addition to these local races, the Colorado Association of Home Builders is supporting several legislative candidates in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. For a complete list of those endorsements, please click here.
One of the closest watched races will be the primaries for governor to determine who will face off to replace term-limited Gov. Polis. Last month, HBA members participated in a productive housing roundtable discussion with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet—who is facing off against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The meeting with Senator Bennet allowed HBA members to address many of the issues influencing housing affordability across Colorado. The conversation covered construction litigation reform, infrastructure and utility constraints, regulatory challenges, workforce needs and the importance of increasing housing supply across all product types. We appreciated Bennet's willingness to hear directly from builders and industry professionals.
We will be watching this primary and several others closely this evening. If you haven’t voted already, please get your ballot in and consider voting for HBA-endorsed candidates. We put a lot of thought and time into interviewing candidates and making our endorsements.
Finally, thank you to all of the sponsors and players who made our 7th annual Bricks & Sticks Golf Tournament another memorable day. Congratulations to our tournament, contest and raffle winners. Next up on the links is our Emerging Leaders Golf Tournament on September 22 at Arrowhead Golf Club.
In closing, thank you for your continued membership, your investment in this association, and the work you do every day. I look forward to seeing many of you in August as we celebrate another outstanding Parade of Homes season and continue building a stronger future for our industry together.
Please have a wonderful Fourth of July, celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday and Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood.