Regional Housing Strategy

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Recognizing the urgent need to act quickly to address a deepening affordable housing crisis, the Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership came together in 2016 to create a plan and set an ambitious goal for addressing affordable housing: by 2035, 12% of all housing inventory in Boulder County will be permanently affordable to low- and middle-income earners (the current affordable housing stock is around 5%). To reach the goal the plan calls for 12,000 additional affordable homes to be built or preserved within the next 17 years, and lays out a set of strong strategies for communities to use to get there. To build the foundation for success in this effort, the partnership - led by a coalition including Boulder County and the cities of Longmont and Boulder - spent the past year and a half engaging the full community, working with planners, elected officials, community organizations, and members of the public from jurisdictions all over Boulder County. More than 40 presentations were given at different events, and feedback was collected during each presentation. The partnership also held a Housing Summit in September 2017 that brought together more than 80 elected officials, planners, and community members to discuss the plan and help move forward. All jurisdictions (with the exception of one) across Boulder County have now voted to support the plan and the 12% goal, and momentum for this effort is tremendous and growing. This regional collaboration can serve as a model for other communities seeking cross-jurisdictional collaboration toward pursuing a critical common goal, particularly around housing affordability.