Let's Talk Housing in Larimer

• People exiting homelessness
   
• Seniors on fixed incomes
   
• People with disabilities
   
• Residents one crisis away from losing housing

• Land-first strategy 
  • Prioritize public, nonprofit, & faith-owned land
    
  • Use long-term ground leases not costly purchases
    
• Supportive housing partnerships
  
  • Pair housing with behavioral health, aging, & stability services
    
  • Coordinate closely with providers & nonprofits 
• Preservation over replacement
  
  • Invest in keeping people housed via eviction prevention, stabilization funds, & services

• It is far cheaper to keep someone housed than to rehouse them later
   
• Reduces strain on emergency services, hospitals, and jails
   
• Maximizes outside funding and service dollars
   

• Retail and service workers
   
• Home health aides
   
• Early-career workers
   
• Fixed-income families

• Community Land Trust–style models
  
  • County helps coordinate land access
    
  • Homes remain affordable forever, not just 30 years 
• Stacked financing
  
  • Philanthropy
    
  • Federal programs
    
  • Mission-aligned private capital
    
  • Municipal participation
    
• Fee reductions instead of cash
  
  • Reduced county fees for deed-restricted affordability
    
  • Faster approvals to lower carrying cost

Predictability, coordination, and affordability protections — not blank checks.
 

• Young families
   
• Seniors downsizing
   
• Local workers priced out of single-family homes

• Pre-approved “Missing Middle Playbook”
  
  • Duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, small apartment buildings
    
  • Neighborhood-scale, not high-rise
    
• Fast-track approvals
  
  • If projects use the playbook and meet affordability goals
    
• Lower development costs
  
  • Fewer delays
    
  • Clear expectations
    
  • Reduced risk for builders

• This is the fastest way to add supply
   
• Fits existing neighborhoods
   
• Reduces pressure on rents countywide
   

• Teachers
   
• Healthcare workers
   
• First responders
   
• Childcare providers
   
• Local government employees

The County convenes a Workforce Housing Compact:

Partners

• Hospitals & healthcare org
  
• School districts
  
• Municipalities
  
• Employers
  
• Builders & developers

Contributions can include

• Land or long-term ground leases
  
• Employer down-payment assistance
  
• Capital contributions
  
• Infrastructure coordination

County role

• Reduce fees
  
• Align timelines
  
• Lock in affordability
  
• Keep projects moving

• Counties don’t own utilities
   
• Housing must align with municipal growth plans

• County acts as connector and coordinator
   
• Early collaboration with:
   
  • Municipalities
     
  • Utility providers
     
  • Developers
     
• Prioritize housing where:
   
  • Water and sewer exist or are planned
     
  • Transportation access already exists
     
  • Infrastructure costs are lowest

• Faster construction
   
• Lower per-unit cost
   
• Predictable budgets
   
• Easier financing

• Support modular-friendly codes
   
• Encourage standardized designs
   
• Reduce regulatory friction

• Shared staffing and expertise
   
• Coordinated grant applications
   
• Less duplication
   
• Stronger regional outcomes