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 Resources:

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

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:

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 elena@housingcolorado.org