HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Read Before Packet - 06/17/2025 - Memorandum from Adam Molzer re Context for Affordable Housing Funding RecommendationsSocial Sustainability Department
222 Laporte Ave.
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6757
amolzer@fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
Date: June 17, 2025
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
From: Adam Molzer, Human Services Program Manager
Subject: Context for Affordable Housing Funding Recommendations
BOTTOM LINE
The purpose of this memo is to provide additional context related to the 2025 funding
recommendations for affordable housing projects and programs that have been submitted by the
Human Services and Housing Funding Board (HSHFB), including specific interest in the
disparities in ranked order of the proposals between HSHFB and the Affordable Housing Board
(AHB), as well as HSHFB’s ranking of the Remington Parking Lot proposal from Housing Catalyst.
SUMMARY
The seven affordable housing funding proposals received in the 2025 process were all provided
with equal opportunity to compete for funding.
The ranking efforts conducted by HSHFB and AHB in April were done independently, with the
final recommendations submitted to Council by HSHFB, as directed by City Code. The boards
also met jointly on March 26. HSHFB received the AHB rankings/comments in early April and
discussed the AHB ranked list on April 9. Funding deliberations occurred April 29.
The rankings presented to Council should not be viewed as a lack of support for a project; rather,
they are the recommended order of projects to award the available funds cascading down until
expended. It is often that the lower ranked projects are not funded as a result of:
• inadequate funding to meet all requests ($4.3M requested, $2.5M available), and/or
• timing and readiness of the project to proceed
HSHFB members commented during the 2025 process that all projects submitted were good
projects, but there just wasn’t enough funding available.
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The table below outlines the respective factors influencing each boards’ rankings, recognizing that
each board is aware that City Council Priority 1 is to: Operationalize City resources to build and
preserve affordable housing.
AHB HSHFB
Materials & Interaction
with Applicants
• Full Application Materials
• Presentations from Applicants
• Q&A Session with Applicants
• Presentations from Applicants
• Q&A Session with Applicants
Exchanges with Other
Board
• Dialogue at March 26 Joint Meeting
• AHB Ranking and Comments Sent
to HSHFB for Non-Binding
• Discussed AHB Rankings at April 9
Regular Meeting
Guiding Factors
• HUD Consolidated Plan
• Vulnerable Populations: seniors,
disability, etc.
• Individual Assessment of Proposal
Merits
• HUD Consolidated Plan
• Maximizing Funds
• Leverage Provided from City Funds
• Vulnerable Populations: seniors,
mobile home parks, etc.
• Individual Assessment of Proposal
Prioritization
Staff Guidance Not Given
• New Units
• Preservation of Units
The boards’ rankings were more aligned with one another between 2022-2024 (following the
same processes), however; it can be reasonably inferred that in some years the two boards may
have different opinions of how they rank the affordable housing proposals.
Specific to Housing Catalyst’s proposal requesting $1.25M for development costs of the
Remington Parking Lot, AHB ranked the proposal #2 and HSHFB ranked the proposal #7. The
HSHFB discussions largely were focused on the timing of the project, since it had not yet
completed a conceptual review and its readiness to proceed was uncertain. One member
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brought up parking displacement concerns, and staff advised that those concerns should not be
a factor in this ranking.
The HSHFB took a strategic approach to optimizing the funds. After ranking their top 2 projects,
the board recognized that the remaining funds could first benefit the smaller dollar request
applications, with the final balance of funds cascading down to one new construction project. The
board chose the VOA Switchgrass new construction project to support with the remaining
funding balance, given its anticipated readiness to utilize the funds in 2026 and focus on senior
residents.
NEXT STEPS
• Process improvements for 2026 are currently being gathered and will be assessed
further in Q3-Q4. Examples may include:
o Additional joint meetings between HSHFB and AHB to prompt richer dialogue.
o Modifying the HSHFB ranking process to include more metric scoring.
o Standardizing the guiding factors influencing each board’s ranking process.
• Sustainability Service Area staff met with Housing Catalyst’s leadership in early June to
answer questions about the 2025 process, and will consider suggestions they offered for
process improvements.
• The staff liaison for HSHFB will meet with AHB at their August regular meeting to answer
questions, solicit feedback and clarify misunderstandings.
CC: Beth Yonce, Social Sustainability Director
Beth Rosen, HUD Compliance Manager
Vanessa Fenley, Housing Manager
Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Housing Policy Manager
Ted Hewitt, Assistant City Attorney
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