HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 9/8/2020 - Memorandum From Lindsay Ex And Meaghan Overton Re: August 25, 2020 Work Session Summary: Housing Strategic Plan Update
Social Sustainability
222 Laporte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6758
MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 28, 2020
TO: Mayor and City Council
THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Affordable Housing Executive Team1
FROM: Lindsay Ex, Interim Housing Manager
Meaghan Overton, Senior City Planner
RE: August 25, 2020 Work Session Summary: Housing Strategic Plan Update
The purpose of this item was to provide a Housing Strategic Plan update, including the draft vision,
community engagement plan, and Ad Hoc Committee scope. All Councilmembers were present.
General Feedback
Vision: Support for the draft vision that “Everyone has stable and healthy housing they can afford,”
noting it was concise, comprehensive, and durable.
Community engagement plan
Overall support for the engagement plan, including engaging community members with
lived experience
Critical to engage builders, developers and entrepreneurs as well as the faith community
Encouragement to explore engaging in additional languages
Support for engaging Boards and Commissions, including the Economic Advisory
Commission, in the plan’s development
Encouragement to include data where possible about barriers arising due to COVID
Ad Hoc Committee Scope
Support for the overall scope, the desire to learn from other communities and experts in
these fields, and support for exploring demand-side strategies, e.g., earning capacity
Noted how complex this issue is and the need to focus on the greatest challenges, why
they exist, and what the community can do to address these. A suggestion was made to
synthesize the work into 4-5 priorities to aid in focus for future action.
Additional feedback
Support for bringing the plan forward for adoption in February 2021
Support to establish target dates, quantified goals, and measures of success to illustrate if
the work is on/off track within the Strategic Plan.
1 Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer; Theresa Connor, Utilities Executive Director; Caryn Champine,
Planning, Development, and Transportation (PDT) Director; Julie Brewen, Housing Catalyst Executive Director;
Dave Lenz, Finance Planning and Analysis Director; Beth Sowder, Social Sustainability Director
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2
Support to continue the plan and taking action at the same time, and the importance for the
plan to include prioritized action steps. The housing needs in our community are urgent and
require both planning for the future and strategic action now. Support to continue
connecting housing and health, including stress associated with affordability, the home’s
interior, and the neighborhood scale, e.g., walkability, access to transit, feeling safe, etc.
Continue emphasizing the plan’s focus on the entire housing spectrum, with strategies for
all income levels to achieve the vision, e.g., addressing strategies for seniors such as
accessibility and community members who are lower income and leaving the community,
supporting home ownership, wealth management, and consumer education, etc.
Recognition that community members’ needs change over time and that a range of housing
choices and availability of those housing types is important, e.g., for renters, first-time
homebuyers, those who want to age in place.
Follow-up Questions
Question: Councilmembers asked if the data provided on slide 6 illustrating the growing gap
between median income and median house price was adjusted for inflation
o Response: the data are not adjusted for inflation, as this reflects the experiences of
families and community members during those years. Staff will add this footnote to
the chart and would highlight that if the numbers were adjusted for inflation, the
chart would show that adjusted median incomes would actually decline in most
years, contributing to less available purchasing power for housing today.
Question: What is the relationship between the City’s policy that supports primary job
retention and the impact on who is able to afford a home?
o Response: this will be further explored via the Ad Hoc Committee in association with
the topic “nexus between economic policies and housing affordability.”
Question: For the graphic on slide 7 in the presentation that illustrated Fort Collins had lost
nearly 3,000 households that earn less than $25K and had gained nearly 4,000 households
earning greater than $75K, Councilmembers asked staff to confirm why these gains and
losses occurred.
o Response: Staff is still analyzing this question and will include this information in the
Existing Conditions Assessment, set to be complete in September. Staff also will
include this information in an upcoming monthly memo to City Council.
Next Steps
The Ad Hoc Committee meetings will be scheduled through April of 2021. The full materials
will be shared with City Council via the Thursday packets the week before.
Monthly memos are planned to Council with progress updates. These memos will also be
shared with Boards and Commissions, such as Planning and Zoning, Affordable Housing,
Economic Advisory Commission, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Commission
Council Work Session scheduled for December 8. Tentative focus is on revising the goals,
strategies, and guiding principles that will support the overall plan, as well as an overview of
the plan that will be released for public review in January 2021.
Community engagement September thru November on the draft vision, goals, strategy
identification, and guiding principles discussion.
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