With its high standards in health care, education, technology, government efficiency, and access to leisure, Colorado leads the nation in terms of overall quality of life … but too often only for those residents who can afford to live in the resulting upside-down housing market.
With home prices continuing to soar higher than even their pre-recession peak, more and more areas of Colorado are experiencing the unfortunate pairing of high livability rankings and unaffordable home prices. In Fort Collins, where the population has grown by 17.1 percent over the past decade, the housing situation has reached crisis proportions.
If our city and state leaders want to keep Colorado’s economy growing—and if they want to reduce the environmental impact of lengthy commutes—they need to focus on expanding the current levels of permanent supportive housing, specialized-needs housing, and affordable homeownership.
These goals can be met most effectively through the creative use of “Affordable Housing” as a key tool for development. The staff of Ripley Design Inc. understands both the challenges and opportunities that come from using this tool when considering entitlement and land planning.
For developments in Fort Collins, we can explain how to navigate:
- The cost of land and water fees.
- The subjective and shifting nature of the Development Review Process.
- The complete list of development fees, so there are no mid-project surprises.
- The process of transforming neighboring property owners from NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) to vocal supporters.
By making use of Affordable Housing options, Ripley Design can help developers:
- Use the City Plan Principles and Policies to apply successfully for needed Land Use Code modifications.
- Create a robust strategic plan to be used as guiding principles.
- Develop underutilized lots and infill areas.
- Work with a City Council that is supportive of affordable housing needs.
- Imagine and forge new private and for-profit partnerships.
All developments face challenges, but Affordable Housing can offers advantages to the broader community as well as to the developer’s bottom line. Ripley Design stands ready to offer its knowledge of the land use code—along with its longstanding relationships with key decision-makers in the Fort Collins area—to help developments sail smoothly through the review process.