The communities of Arapahoe County covered by this plan range from urban communities entirely surrounded by the city of Denver to rural communities many miles from the city limits that will require a flexible Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan Citizen's Summary describes the characteristics of the local population, documents the size and characteristics of the housing stock, identifies housing and community development needs, and discusses goals and strategies for addressing those needs.
The Arapahoe County Housing and Community Development Services Division (HCDS) anticipates spending approximately $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $500,000 in HOME funds, and $2.6 million in unspent CDBG and HOME allocations on 21 Consolidated Plan projects and grant administration in 1995.
The planning process was coordinated by HCDS. Since 1992 several municipalities have participated in a task force that made recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. HCDS held two public hearings with substantial prior notice, and also consulted with community groups. During a 30-day comment period on the draft Consolidated Plan, at which time the draft was available at 28 locations, no citizen comments were received.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
Arapahoe County's Urban County designation includes five participating municipalities: Englewood, Sheridan, Littleton, Glendale, and the town of Deer Trail. Four other municipalities allow the inclusion of their population in the overall count of residents necessary for Urban County designation, but do not have many residents qualified to benefit from the programs included in the plan. The total population of the Urban County area was just under 200,000 persons in 1990 and it is expected to grow to about a quarter of a million by the end of the century.
In 1990 only 1 in 10 of the county's residents reported a race other than white. Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group, at 5 percent of the population. Five census tracts in the county, in Sheridan, Glendale, and an unincorporated area, have areas of minority concentration.
The participating cities vary somewhat from each other. Englewood has affordable housing, the development and expansion of the suburbs to the west and south has had a negative impact on their economic basis. Sheridan is also a starter home community and has lost some of its economic base. However, with the deterioration of roads and relaxation of code compliance, the city finds it hard to attract new business. Littleton is a community strongly committed to good schools, safe neighborhoods, and pride in homeownership. Glendale is in a period of change. While it is experiencing a building boom, it needs to upgrade its water supply. Two major areas have been identified as needs in the community: multifamily rehabilitation and Section 8 rental assistance. Deer Trail has experienced dramatic administrative changes in the past year and a half. Long-term infrastructure improvements will continue to be addressed as funds become available.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels. 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.
The rapidly growing county has one of the highest per capita incomes in the nation. Employment in professional services and trades predominate and is expanding in the area; downsizing at nearby employer Martin Marietta (since it merged with Lockheed) has had a negative impact on manufacturing employment.
Housing problems (affordability, physical inadequacy, or overcrowding) in Arapahoe County have been more common among owners than renters; however, in proportion to their numbers, renters incur more problems. Cost burdens (paying more than 30 percent of household income for housing expenses) were the most common housing problem identified by the 1990 census. The highest incidence of housing problems is among minority and large family rental households in the extremely low-income (0-30 percent MFI), low-income (31-50 percent MFI), and moderate-income (51-80 percent MFI) range. Among homeowners, small families and the elderly face the most housing problems.
There were 88,959 housing units in the county in 1990, a 57 percent increase from 1980. Owners outnumbered renters by nearly two to one in 1990. The owner-occupied housing stock generally has at least three bedrooms, while rental unit usually have two or less. The overall vacancy rate in 1990 was 3 percent.
Littleton, Sheridan, and Englewood were largely built before 1939, and have a substantial amount of older housing, much of it in need of rehabilitation, and much of it small and overcrowded. Of Deer Trail's 204 homes, almost one-third are rental units. Homeownership is increasing in Englewood. Glendale, which has almost no single family housing, has lower rents and a younger population than surrounding areas. Littleton's housing is 60 percent owner-occupied, and half of it was built after 1970. Sheridan has about the same proportions of tenure, but shows more signs of maintenance needs and economic problems. The unincorporated parts of the county are diverse; they include Loretto Heights and Four Square Mile, which are areas of low-income concentration that also recently have had significant new construction of upscale homes.
There has been substantial growth since 1990. Building permit information since 1991 indicates this growth has had little impact on Englewood, Glendale, or Sheridan, but has been substantial in Littleton and in unincorporated parts of the county, totaling 2,337 units. Of these permits, 84 percent were for single-family homes. In the first 6 months of 1994, the average sale price of a single-family home in South Metro Denver increased by almost 10 percent to $215,000. Many homes are sold at asking price within a short period of time.
Housing is considered affordable for a household if that household pays less than 30 percent of their income for housing. By this measure, there are only 1,809 affordable rental units available for the 4,023 renter households in Arapahoe County where incomes are below 30 percent of the median family income. In the year before the plan was prepared, rents in the county increased by as much as $100 per unit.
Of extremely low-income households, almost one-third paid more than half their income for housing costs. Overall, 50,513 low- and moderate-income owner households and 27,076 low- and moderate-income rental households reported housing cost burden problems.
A recent survey of local homeless service providers indicated that they had served 1,381 homeless persons, of whom 84 percent were members of homeless families, 10 percent were single adults, and 6 percent were unaccompanied youth. Almost 70 percent were victims of domestic violence, almost 7 percent were severely mentally ill and/or were substance abusers, and the vast majority were unsheltered. The Gateway Battered Women's Shelter expects to accept about 115 families from its opening in March of 1994 through the end of 1995, but also to turn away 185 families for lack of space.
Agencies serving the homeless include Arapahoe County Social Services, providing funds for short-term housing, and the Colorado Homeless Coalition, considering building a 75 unit facility near Sheridan on county-donated land. HCDS belongs to the South Metro Homeless Coalition, operating in Sheridan, Littleton, and Englewood. There are also several organizations trying to prevent at-risk persons and households from becoming homeless. Transitional housing is needed for pregnant teenagers, at-risk children or youth, and persons with mental illness or substance abuse problems.
Littleton, Englewood, Sheridan, and Arapahoe County all have public housing authorities. Together, they provide 799 units of affordable housing in various projects and 862 Section 8 certificates, which tenants use to rent from private landlords around their communities. In addition, there is an 11-unit affordable property in Deer Trail for elderly persons. The waiting lists for these units are several hundred to over a thousand names long; large families can expect to wait several years to receive assistance. The public housing stock is in good condition, and no units are expected to be lost from the inventory.
The plan identifies the "filtering process" as a major barrier to affordable housing, by which older and smaller housing over time becomes available to low-income people. High housing demand does not allow this process to work effectively. Another barrier is the lack of funding to develop affordable housing. Furthermore, the impact and development fees placed on new development, while they may be a necessity for local governments and communities, increase housing costs, especially for low-income people. Community resistance to affordable housing is also a problem.
It is estimated that there are 44,505 housing units in the county that may contain lead paint, and that about two-thirds of these are occupied by low- and moderate-income households. Statewide tests showed that of 401 children tested for lead exposure, 4 percent had some signs of lead in their blood, but none tested at high levels.
In the area covered by the plan, there are estimated to be 8,379 persons who have physical mobility or self-care limitations that may have special housing needs. The highest proportions are in Deer Trail and Sheridan, where low-income households are unlikely to be able to afford to make units accessible. The cost of a new home, accessible to disabled persons, is estimated at $215,000--well beyond the means of lower income households.
There are estimated to be 641 persons with AIDS or who are HIV-positive in the county. One hundred units of housing for this population exist or are being built in the Denver area.
Among the county's community development needs are parks and recreational facilities, infrastructure improvements, employment training, services for substance abusers and the elderly, transportation assistance, health services, tenant-landlord counseling, handicapped accessibility, economic development, and energy-efficiency improvements.
The plan has been coordinated by the staff of the Arapahoe County Housing and Community Services Division, but is really a collaboration of the ideas and concerns brought out in meetings with local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations concerned with the future of the county.
Through its task force of county, municipal and nonprofit officials, a wide range of community needs have been identified over the next five years; their total estimated cost would be about $180 million, or three times the federal assistance expected.
The task force has identified several high priority housing needs over the next 5 years.
In addition, the HCDS continues to consult with agencies concerned about housing needs of person with mental health problems, person with disabilities, victims of child abuse, teenage substance abuses, and persons with AIDS or HIV. The Englewood and Littleton Housing Authorities will seek funds to renovate their public housing over the next 5 years.
The county's priorities have areawide benefits; many specific projects have not yet been designated.
High priorities for community development include:
The county is committed to promoting all means of expanding the economic base for its residents. HCDS advocates are pursuing affordable housing and job skills enhancement programs, such as the Job Training Partnership Act and the Family Self-Sufficiency Program.
The county expects to receive about $64 million in Federal assistance for housing and community development needs over the next 5 years. In addition, $18 million in financing for new homeowners will be available. The county will provide 9 acres of land to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless for its planned homeless development. About $2 million dollars of Federal funds are expected to be available for weatherizing the homes of low- income people, which will leverage more than $1 million dollars from the local public utility. The county and private donors are expected to provide $10 million dollars to area nonprofits.
HCDS is the lead agency for the plan and will coordinate and distribute resources. HCDS has identified external regulations that do not match existing local policies and procedures as a potential barrier to coordination. Some local governments are not willing to use funding with requirements such as those in Davis Bacon. Differences also exist between the county and some municipalities on goals and procedures. Increased coordination between HUD, the county, and municipalities will be sought to solve these problems. The Task Force for Community Development Block Grant funds and the South Metro Homeless Coalition provide opportunities for coordination.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects. MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects. MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6. MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; as well as, provides a table with information about the project(s) .
Arapahoe County has selected seven different projects to utilize its 1995 funds. Sheridan has identified three and Littleton two. Deer Trail, Englewood, and Glendale have each selected one. This year six projects were selected to receive funds. Arapahoe County, Englewood, Littleton, and Sheridan have all selected rehabilitation programs for the 1995 program year. $210,000 has been designated for the first-time homebuyer program. Accessibility is being addressed by Arapahoe County, Littleton, and Sheridan through the installation of handicapped ramps in area sidewalks. Infrastructure improvements are scheduled to take place in Arapahoe County and Deer Trail. The city of Glendale is dedicating its funds to develop and purchase handicapped accessible playground equipment for a new park. Sheridan school district will purchase two modular units for a family resource center. The Family Self-Sufficiency program and Community Services Housing Information and Referral Service will receive $45,000 in CDBG funds.
Mr. Jim Taylor
Director
Housing and Community Development Services
Arapahoe County
2009 W. Littleton Boulevard
Littleton, CO 80120
303-730-1300