Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins used his Mayor's Minute column on Oct. 23 to lay out what a housing coalition plans to push when Wyoming lawmakers return, and the list reads a lot like a small builder's complaint file: too few buildable lots, high infrastructure costs, regulatory costs and delays that run up construction loan interest. He also said a large national builder has been touring Cheyenne looking for land for about 300 units (via City of Cheyenne).
Here's what's on the table and what it could mean for people who build in Wyoming.
Collins listed five coalition priorities for the coming session. The first is giving communities tax increment financing they can use to help build housing. The second is a statewide library of preapproved home designs, so a homeowner or builder can pick a plan that has already been reviewed instead of paying for a custom design and waiting on plan review. The third is reforming Wyoming's protest petition rule, which forces a city council supermajority to approve a zone change when neighbors protest. Collins noted that fight has come up for the past couple of sessions.
The last two are leasing state land for housing development and loosening rules on manufactured housing, which Collins said would especially help smaller towns that don't have much of a construction workforce.
He also pointed to a housing investment fund as one of the last unfinished items from the state's Affordable Housing Task Force, and to a bill from Rep. Sherwood aimed at helping communities deal with abandoned and nuisance properties and get them redeveloped.
Some of this will sound familiar. In the 2026 budget session, a $30 million revolving loan fund for cities, towns, nonprofits and housing authorities (SF 64) died on its introduction vote, 15-15, according to Wyoming Public Media. Because it was a budget session, it needed a two-thirds majority. Two protest petition bills also failed that year: HB 77 would have repealed the process and lost 35-26 in the House, while SF 117, which would have raised the bar for a successful protest, cleared the Senate 28-3 before a House committee killed it. Wyoming Public Media reported that Wyoming and Mississippi are the only two states without a housing fund.
One housing bill did pass. The Fast Track Permits Act (HB 2), sponsored by Cheyenne Rep. Lee Filer and signed by Gov. Mark Gordon, took effect July 1. It sets deadlines for local governments to review residential building permits, and according to the legislature's bill summary, an application that isn't approved or denied on time is deemed approved, though the building still has to pass inspections before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
On the development side, Collins wrote that Hillpointe, which he described as one of the largest homebuilders in the country, was introduced to the city by the Wyoming Business Council about a month before its visit. The company is looking for property for a multifamily project aimed at households earning 80% to 120% of the area median income. Collins said that bracket covers roughly 40% of the local workforce, people earning up to about $20 an hour. The stated goal is 300 apartments. No site, budget or timeline was given.
The column also mentioned a new fire station funded by the city's 6th Penny sales tax, with construction documents being finished, a groundbreaking target of next year and a ribbon-cutting goal of 2028.
Why it matters for Contractors
If you build homes in Wyoming, a preapproved plan library could be the most practical item on the list. Stock plans that have already cleared review can cut design costs and shave weeks off a permit, which matters most to small builders doing a handful of spec or custom homes a year. Combined with the deadlines already in the Fast Track Permits Act, it could make the front end of a job more predictable.
The protest petition and investment fund fights are worth following too. Both have failed before, but if either passes, it could open up more lots and more financed projects, which is the bottleneck Collins says small builders are running into now.
For Cheyenne trades, a 300-unit apartment project would be a sizable job if Hillpointe lands a site. Nothing is final yet, so watch city planning agendas for a site plan or rezoning request. And the fire station is a public job worth tracking when it goes out to bid.