Adams County's 1995 Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development.This document summarizes the plan so that citizens in the county can have a quick overview of Adams County's housing and community development problems; the 5-year broad goals, strategies, and actions proposed to deal with those problems; and projects proposed for carrying out this strategy during 1995.
The consolidated plan includes an action plan constituting an application for $2,687,000 in funds under two HUD formula programs, $2,076,000 under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and $611,000 under the HOME Investments Partnership Program.
Citizen comments, both written and verbal, were received on the five year
housing and non-housing community needs assessment and on the use of CDBG funds.
In addition, on March 13, 1995, a Public Hearing was held on the Consolidated
Plan and at such time the Board of County Commissioners approved the 1995-1999
Consolidated Plan and the 1995 Action Plan.
In 1986, Adams County qualified as an Urban County and became eligible to receive an annual formula allocation of CDBG funds. The County is one of five counties that comprise the Denver metropolitan area and encompasses an area of approximately 1,240 sq. miles. The county, has become urbanized in the western part along the Colorado front range while the eastern section, with the exception of the cities of Bennett and Strasburg, are primarily agriculture in nature.
This plan and funding application was developed for the following cities of
Bennett, Brighton, Broomfield, Federal Heights, Northglenn and Thornton in
addition to the Unincorporated areas of the County.
The majority of new single-family homes constructed in the county range from $150,000 to $200,000, very few affordable new homes are being built in the $60,000 to $700,000 price range.
There are two housing authorities in the county, the Adams County Housing Authority which has over 1,000 persons on its Section 8 waiting list and the Brighton Housing Authority which has 100 families on its list.
The housing market is experiencing a shortage in the number of units available for all types of housing due to the construction and operation of the new Denver International Airport. Areas like Brighton and Bennet have a zero percent availability in housing and rental units and homes in other areas barely stay on the market for a 24 hour period.
The need for affordable low and moderate income housing is increasing and is not expected to improve due to the current housing market conditions.
Eighteen organizations prove emergency shelters for the homeless. However, only the A.C.C.E.S.S. and Alternatives to Family Violence in Brighton, provide shelter for homeless families. These agencies have provided shelter to a minimum of 2,400 homeless families in 1994.
Increased need for additional subsidized housing is evident. Shelter is needed for families, homeless, and disabled. An exact number of units is not available at this time.
The primary barrier is cost, land and development
costs have risen sharply
and developers are building in more profitable ranges to over come these costs.
This applies to both single-family units and to apartment complexes.
The Housing and Community Development Strategic Plan examines the need in housing and community development, the gaps in local resources available, prioritized the needs, and lists the broad strategies that could be carried out over the next five years.
The priorities for the next five years are:
Adams County will imitate various programs to acquire, rehabilitate, construct, weatherize, provide financial assistance, and provide tax credits to increase the number of new and existing housing units for low and moderate income persons. In addition, rental vouchers and certificates will be provided for low income renters.
In order to make a more significant impact on homeless among families, additional focus on a "Continuum of Care" program will be provided to extend additional outreach services to families in order to reduce the risk of homelessness and help families who have found themselves to be homeless.
This involves improving the quality of life for Adams county citizens and entails public facility improvements (parks and recreation facilities, youth centers, senior citizen centers, and health facilities), infrastructure improvements (flood drainage improvements, street and sidewalk improvements, and solid waste and water disposal), and economic development (job training and placement centers, and education).
Resources to carry out these activities will come from a combination of
federal, state and local funding sources. In addition to HUD, funds will be
solicited from the Departments of Labor and Transportation.
The Adams County 1995-1996 Action Plan is a consortium of projects to be funded and developed for the county and those communities comprising this application. Total funding to be distributed among the participants is $2,114,142.
The projects to be funded fall within the following eligible categories: Community/Public Service - $180,892; Public Facilities and Improvements - $1,134,740; Removal of Architectural Barriers - $417,325; Special Economic Development - $40,000; Industrial Commercial Rehabilitation - $30,000; Housing Rehabilitation - $51,685; and CDBG Program Administration - $259,500. This represents a total of 53 projects located throughout the county and aligned communities.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
