NoCo Housing NOW

NoCo Housing NOW is a coalition of the willing serving as Northern Colorado’s leading voice for housing options & relative affordability.  Members of the coalition include:  Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cities of Greeley and Fort Collins, Larimer and Weld County, the Town of Windsor, Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity, the Northern Colorado Home Builders Association, the NoCo Rental Housing Association, IRES and the Fort Collins Board of Realtors.  Talent 2.0 identified the need to explore the range of affordable housing policies that could be considered to address the housing challenges in the region and spurred the creation of NoCo Housing NOW.

Current Events and Resources:

NoCo Housing NOW Summit
Friday, September 15, 2023

Video of the Conversation

Proposition HH – Getting Past the Headlines
Passed in the waning days of the 2023 legislative session, this measure asks Colorado voters to make significant changes in how property taxes, educational funding, and TABOR will be treated going forward.  The nuance of these intersections is complex.  The implications are equally daunting.  Panelists will highlight significant components of the measure, with equal weight given to both supporters and opponents.

• Moderator: Nick Coltrain – Denver Post
• Panelists:
  • Proponents –  John Robinson, President – Poudre Education Association
  • Opponents – Kristi Burton Brown, Senior Policy Analyst – Advance Colorado

2024 Legislative Preview
We are pleased to welcome Northern Colorado delegates to the State Capitol who will share insights and preview housing-related legislation.

• Panelists:
  • Senator Joann Ginal (D 14) – Larimer
  • Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer (R 23) –  Weld
  • Representative Mike Lynch (R 65) – Larimer/Weld
  • Representative Cathy Kipp (D 52) – Larimer
  • Representative Andrew Boesenecker (D 53) – Larimer

 NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Meeting

Friday, June 16, 2023 

Proposition 123 Presentation

NOCO Land Banking Presentation

Topic: Proposition 123, Everything You Need to 

This past November, Colorado voters passed a proposition that establishes a recurring funding source to support a comprehensive array of housing and supportive services across the state.  Known as Prop 123, the program sets aside 0.01% of the annual general fund budget that is directed to two separate buckets, one managed by the Colorado Division of Housing and the other administered by the Colorado Housing & Finance Authority.  For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the combined funds are anticipated to receive approximately $270 million, distributed in the form of grants, loans, and equity investments.

Featured Panel:

Kristin Toombs, Director, Office of Homeless Initiatives: [email protected]

Steve Boice, Manager of Business Finance, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority: [email protected]

Link sent in chat: Proposition 123 – Colorado Affordable Housing Financing Fund | Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

 NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Meeting

Friday, March 27, 2023 

Topic: Housing Policy & Community Engagement

As communities across the region pursue strategies for addressing increasing costs and limited availability of housing, the need for effective community engagement is critical to balancing inherent conflicts. Meanwhile, statewide responses are being debated at the legislature that seek both subtle and profound shifts in the housing landscape.

Please join us for a review of what is happening at our statehouse and a spirited discussion of how to achieve positive, meaningful outcomes in addressing our housing shortage.

Featured Panel:    Brian Rossbert – Executive Director, Housing Colorado

Jonathan Cappelli – Executive Director, Neighborhood Development Collaborative

 NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Meeting

Friday, November 18, 2022

The Missing Middle PresentationNoCo Land Banking Presentation Slides

Middle Income Access Program Slides

Topic: The Missing Middle

Communities across the country are now beginning to recognize that suburban-style development has crowded out a more diverse mix of housing types that were commonplace prior to the 1950s.  Community planning tended to emphasize uniformity within residential areas such that single-family detached housing predominated with higher density multifamily housing situated in distinctly separate neighborhoods.  Duplexes, small apartment buildings, condominiums and other housing types have become all but forgotten, a phenomenon known as The Missing Middle.

Please join us as we explore strategies, market opportunities and tools for expanding our housing inventory mix that appeals to a broader cross-section of our communities.

Featured Panel:
Landon Hoover – Hartford Homes
Terry Barnard – Colorado Housing Finance Authority

Featured Resources 

Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth | Own Your Home | Own Your Future

Single Family Programs by County – Impact Development Fund (impactdf.org)

 NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Hybrid Meeting
Friday, September 23, 2022

Topic: Moving the Needle – Transcending Talk to Action

Housing routinely elevates to a high priority across our region. Employers, civic leaders, community activists, service providers and governmental agencies have all proffered strategies, resources and political impetus to address this growing issue. What has been accomplished and what are we prepared to pursue going forward?

Please join us as we hear from local elected leaders who will recount the victories, share priorities, and highlight challenges of balancing competing interests within the electorate. Speakers will share their respective path for building durable strategies while harnessing a shared commitment to preserving the economic vitality of our region.

• Housing is Critical Infrastructure: Social and Economic Benefits of Building More Housing; Rosen Consulting Group; June 2021

NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Hybrid Meeting

Creating Housing Opportunities Through Partnership

June 3, 2022

Recording 

Presentation Slides

At its latest quarterly meeting, NoCo Housing NOW participants convened to explore opportunities to expand impact through partnerships. Across the region, non-profit, for-profit and public agencies have banded together to deliver housing solutions to a broader cross-section of the community.

At this hybrid event, we heard how expertise, capacity and resources are being leveraged to increase opportunity for both renters and homebuyers.

Panelists included:
Stefka Fanchi – Elevation Community Land Trust: View Presentation
Jeff Feneis – Loveland Housing Authority: View Presentation
Dustin Barrington and Kim Iwanski – CARE Housing:  View Presentation
Kristin Candella – Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity : One Voice for Housing Presentation

Thank you to the 2022 NoCo Housing NOW Program Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Meeting
March 4, 2022

Recording

Presentation

As part of the quarterly NoCo Housing NOW series, the Chamber convened a dialogue to explore methods in which employers are assisting efforts to secure housing for its workforce.  Under the heading of Employer Assisted Housing, both public and private-sector employers shared strategies for providing rental and ownership opportunities to help attract and retain employees.  Recognizing significant external factors that make it extremely difficult for wages to keep pace with exponential growth in the cost of all housing types, our panel outlined methods in which employers can help secure opportunities to support both their teammates and the larger community.

The panel included Elevated, Inc., the largest franchisee for Cheba Hut Toasted Subs, Colorado State University, University of Northern Colorado and Pitkin County – a voice from the future of Larimer County.  The panel was also joined by Canvas Credit Union and Impact Development Fund, two organizations that have developed tools to assist employers considering a role in this space.

A recording of the dialogue can be found here, along with other materials below.  Please plan to join us on June 17, 2022 from 10:30-noon at our next NoCo Housing Now event!

NoCo Housing NOW Summit – October 28, 2021 

Supported by:

Housing Challenges in Colorado From pre-COVID to the Present: Can Innovation Offer a Partial Solution?
Dr. Phyliss Resnick, Executive Director, CSU Colorado Futures Center
Jennifer Newcomer – Research Director, CSU Colorado Futures Center

Presentation

Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention
Kelly Evans, Executive Director, Neighbor-to-Neighbor

Successes at the Bonell Campus Pilot Project
Ben Snow, Director, City of Greeley Department of Economic Health & Housing
Jayme Schledewitz – Bonnell Project Director, United Way of Weld County

Presentation

One Voice for Housing?
Kristin Candella, Executive Director, Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity

Presentation

Resource: The Essential Foundation: How to Talk to Coloradans About Housing

NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Virtual Meeting – August 20, 2021

Topic: Land Use Code Matters!

Recording
Introduction Slides and Contact Information
City of Fort Collins Housing Strategic Plan Implementation: LUC Phase 1 Updates 
Larimer County Land Use Code Updates Phase II
The Housing View from Greeley 
Tracking Growth and Evaluating Performance of Shared Equity Homeownership Programs During Housing Market Fluctuations (April 2019)

Several jurisdictions within Northern Colorado are re-examining impediments to delivering diverse, equitable and inclusive housing development that can be considered affordable across the income spectrum.  The panel included representatives from Larimer County and the Cities of Greeley and Fort Collins who outlined key objectives, delivery timeframe and opportunities for community input. Following introductory presentations, attendees were encouraged to engage in direct dialogue with the panel and each other to bring greater understanding of the tools used to define our community.

NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Virtual Meeting – March 19, 2021

Members of the Colorado Housing Affordability Project (CHAP) presented 8 policy recommendations to address key elements pushing housing costs beyond the capacity of an expanding cross-section of our communities. To highlight the need for action, relevant statistical data and research demonstrated:

• Statewide median income has increased 63% between 2000 and 2019; Median rent has increased 104% while median home price has increased 146% within the same time frame.
• Renters at every income level are increasingly paying more than 30% of gross income for housing, not just among low-income households.
• In 2010, the statewide median home price was 4.4 times median household income; in 2020 that ratio was 5.2 and by 2030 it is expected to reach 6.2 times.
• Land use regulations and development review processes are a major drivers of housing cost.

The overriding message revolves around regional cooperation to gain efficiencies and minimize conflicts while creating greater connectivity between jobs, housing and public amenities.  The eight recommendations are not  presented as potential legislation, but rather voluntary initiatives communities should consider in order to lower the financial, administrative and physical barriers to expanding our inventory of housing available to households across the income spectrum.

Review the proposal here.  Our Platform – Colorado Housing Affordability Project (cohousingaffordabilityproject.org)

The next partnership meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 16. Visit https://nocohousingnow.org/ for more information and to get involved.

NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Virtual Meeting – June 5, 2020
This meeting featured a conversation about creative use of small lot size

NoCo Housing NOW presents:
A Housing Conversation with NoCo Housing NOW

Friday, November 8, 2019
Embassy Suites, 4705 Clydesdale Pkwy, Loveland, CO 80538
The housing conversation is underwritten by Northern Colorado Prospers.

Event Resources

Event Agenda 

	Presentation Keynote: Affordable Housing as Public Infrastructure Stefka Fanchi, Elevation Land Trust Chief Executive Officer
	Presentation  Water and the Impact on Housing Patrick McMeekin , Hartford Homes VP of Land Development
	Presentation  CDFI Financing – Creative Impact Megan Ferguson, Impact Development Fund Director of Operations
	Presentation Exploring Colorado’s Housing Affordability ChallengesDoubled Up Housing Phyllis Resnick, Executive Director and Lead Economist, Colorado Futures Center, Research in partnership with Shift Research Lab
	Initiative 122 Synopsis Legislative Update Elena Wilken, Housing Colorado Executive Director (303) 863-0124 [email protected]