DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis took executive action on Monday to develop more housing across Colorado.

The same order also aims to reduce the environmental impact of expansion.

Polis said the action is all about making sure Colorado uses existing resources to get more housing built quickly.

“There are things that we’re able to do to deliver more housing sooner, and that’s exactly what today’s executive order is all about,” Polis said.

The governor’s six-page executive order does a few key things to remove some of the bureaucracy that slows housing production across the state.

Polis housing order aims for speed

The first step is getting the Department of Local Affairs to turn grants around faster.

“This action helps address this issue by ensuring that the state piece of this, which is generally state-funded grants and loans for housing projects, is turned around quicker,” Polis said. “We’re going to get from 240-day turnaround average DOLA for loans under this executive order to 90-day turnaround. And we’re very excited about getting the money out the door sooner.”

State agencies will also need to evaluate their inventory and help nonprofits and local governments fund housing efforts.

“Relevant state agencies — and that’s the energy office, the office of economic development, transportation, natural resources, local affairs, public health and environment and personnel and administration — to evaluate really everything they do that touches housing: grants, policies, plans, procedures, rules, including utilization of state land — to, that they support local governments and regional governments and nonprofits,” Polis said.

And come next summer, the state housing department will need to have its contracts drafted and executed within three months.

“The executive order also directs the Department of Local Affairs and Division of Housing to draft and execute their contracts for grants and loans within 90 days,” Polis said.

The governor said the state needs to lead by example when it comes to housing, saying local governments need a roadmap to follow.