May 2022 – Newsletter Article by BJ Scott, co-founder of the Affordable Housing Collaborative and longtime health care expert across the Pikes Peak Region.
On April 25, 2002, the Affordable Housing Collaborative (AHC) was honored to join our partners – Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs, Apartment Association of Southern Colorado, Downtown Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Association of Relators, and Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC – for a “Housing for All” presentation to the Colorado Springs City Council.
AHC’s primary focus is on increasing the stock of housing that affects people in our county that earn between 30% and 80% of our county’s annual area median income, which is $81,900. That equates to those earning between $25,000 and $65,500 per year. In collaboration our partners listed above are focusing on those earning over $65,000 per year but still finding housing unattainable. Each group brought recommendation to city council that could help soften our affordable housing crisis.
AHC presentation of its “Housing for All: Solutions that Make Sense” Final Report highlighted work during 2021 and 2022 and included these recommendations:
- Increase funding of pre-development costs for local affordable housing projects;
- Create a funding guide to leverage sources of funding;
- Fund technical assistance for local housing organizations;
- Increase long term funding programs;
- Incentivize and raise awareness of CDFIs for increase in local investment;
- Recommend creation of sales tax exemption on building materials for affordable housing projects and establish LURA (Land Use Restrictive Agreement) for affordable housing projects that take advantage of these programs; and
- Increase the availability of land for affordable housing projects.
- Establish an empowered quasi-governmental or other independent housing development central office with staffing to be connectors and navigators, a relationship-oriented process liaison with knowledge in planning/zoning/real estate/community development & financing to broker relationships between parties with land and parties able to finance/develop land – work would include education, advocacy, research and holding convenings as needed;
- Build on best practices research from other US cities to improve processes and information that allow projects to move through planning, financing, and applications to get to market quicker;
- Advocate for committing LART taxes from short term rentals to fund production of affordable housing;
- Develop data base of community information and form letters for CHAFA applicants to share in application process.
- Evaluate the potential for increased “land banking” and “community land trusts”;
- Provide ongoing funding through the City and Colorado Springs Utility to offset the added costs of fees (parks, public safety, tap fees etc.) that provide challenge to affordable housing projects; and
Recommend ReTool zoning code changes that move projects through approval processes quicker and reduce costs such as reduced parking requirements, eliminate requirement commercial areas (ex. shopping malls) must rezone to build multi family housing, etc.;
- Develop coordinated & streamlined community education/communication/advocacy effort that includes storytelling of people struggling to find and/or stay in affordable housing;
- Develop strategies to support low income rental tenants; and
- Develop an advocacy plan focused on the R-Flex aspect of ReTool.
The three workgroups are finalizing their actions plans. The Affordable Housing Collaborative and its partners will identify a City Council Work Session date in early 2022 to report on this grassroots collaborative work.
Photo Credit: CPR.org