Arvada, Colorado, is a suburb northwest of Denver. Incorporated in 1904, it was an agricultural community until the I-70 interstate freeway brought residential growth. That growth tapered off in the middle 1980s, and Arvada is now a stable and aging suburban city. The existence of open space and a rural feeling is important to many residents.
This Consolidated Plan will use of $732,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, primarily for rehabilitation and repairs of owner-occupied and rental dwellings and for services to special needs populations. Arvada also plans to use HOME Investment Partnership funds allocated by the participating jurisdiction.
The Human Services Department of Arvada coordinated the preparation of the Consolidated Plan. A variety of agencies were contacted by letter inviting them to participate in developing the Consolidated Plan by providing written comments on community needs.
A public hearing was held, after public notices in a local paper. A Consolidated Plan on housing and community development needs was then prepared, based on information received. Copies of this plan were made available to the public, and a summary was published in a local paper. After a public hearing, Arvada City Council adopted the plan by resolution. No written comments were received from citizens.
In 1990 the population of Arvada was 90 percent white, but the minority proportion is increasing. Most minority residents are Hispanic. They are concentrated generally in the southeastern part of the city, where there is a greater amount of older housing and multifamily rental housing. Low-income households are concentrated in the same area, but there is no indication of a concentration of minority households in substandard housing.
After a period of stagnation in the housing market and the Denver metropolitan economy, improvements in the economy are now expected to result in higher rents and housing prices.
About 10 percent of rental units and 11 percent of owner-occupied units were found to be substandard and suitable for rehabilitation by the 1989 Housing Assistance Plan. Lender reluctance to provide financing for rehabilitation of vacant rental housing is a problem. In addition, there are some abandoned and boarded up single-family houses in the city.
Of the 34,505 housing units in the city, 72 percent are single-family, detached units. The median price of single-family homes in Arvada is $89,800. New construction is expected to increase. In the immediate future there should be a window of opportunity to expand homeownership for low- and moderate-income households--while interest rates are still low, but market stagnation has ended and a stable market exists.
The housing vacancy rate in Arvada is low. Only 1 percent of housing available for ownership is vacant. The rental vacancy rate is 2 percent. This "tight market" creates affordability problems for persons with special housing needs and low incomes. Fewer units are expected to be available at affordable rents, especially larger units with three or more bedrooms. In addition, an increasing need for supportive housing for frail elderly households is anticipated. The median gross rent is $456.
Some affordable housing has been provided under almost every Federal program of the last 3 decades, except for public housing. The city has identified facilities and services for populations with special needs. These populations include:
This latter group constitutes a large portion of the renter households with low and moderate incomes. One study concluded that 400 additional units of subsidized independent living facilities and 180 units of congregate housing are needed for the elderly in Arvada and the neighboring community of Westminster.
There is one emergency homeless shelter and one facility that provides housing for victims of domestic abuse while they make a transition to normal life. Colorado Homeless Families provides 10 units of housing for families that are homeless or in danger of homelessness.
A mental health center has estimated that there are 135 homeless people in Arvada. The Metro Denver Homeless Families Project estimated that there were over 1,985 homeless families in the whole Denver metro area in 1990. The Project found that a stock of affordable housing with services is necessary to support some persons, now homeless, who are unable to live in independent housing. Other persons need subsidized units because they cannot earn enough to pay market rents. Other households are homeless because of domestic violence and need both emergency shelter and housing that enables transition to a more normal life.
According to Colorado Homeless Families, homeless families in Arvada are most typically single-parent households that have problems related to the troubled economy and to family breakups. In addition, families receiving Aid to Families With Dependent Children do not receive enough to ensure that they can pay market rents. Teen parents, persons with disabilities, and persons released from prison are other groups that have housing problems in Arvada.
There are no public housing units in Arvada. The Arvada Housing Authority does operate a program which provides 370 Section 8 certificates and vouchers for rental assistance for low-income people. In addition, there are 531 units of housing in the city under private ownership, which are subsidized under the Section 8 program; 294 of these units are set aside for elderly households. A small number of these units are expected to be lost as subsidized housing over the next few years.
In addition to these units, there are 458 units of housing in Arvada that are assisted and affordable to low-income people. These units were developed under various programs over the last 3 decades. Most of this housing is located near the southern boundary in an area of low-income concentration.
Arvada has a growing population of immigrants from Asia, eastern Europe, and Russia, many of whom have difficulty securing housing because of difficulties with language or with cultural issues.
Interest rates are also expected to rise, thus raising the cost of housing. Past problems probably will lead to caution and an aversion to risky projects on the part of lenders. It is hoped that the requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act will encourage lenders to make needed loans.
The city finds that some Federal regulations are barriers to affordable housing. Examples are the CDBG program which requires paying prevailing wages and governing relocation, and the matching fund requirements of the HOME program.
The city is also attempting to streamline its own process for providing permits and information to nonprofit and for-profit developers. To facilitate this, it will locate the Arvada Housing Authority and the Housing and Community Development Division together.
It is a goal of the city to provide access to housing for all citizens regardless of racial or ethnic background, gender, color, or national origin. Age, disability, and handicap will also be disregarded except as considered appropriate.
It is estimated that 12,789 units in Arvada could contain lead-based paint hazards. The actual hazards to children are not easy to estimate, but out of 108 tests conducted on children in Jefferson County, 7 children were found to have significant lead levels.
Some elderly persons will have difficulty remaining in their homes unless those homes can be repaired and suitable roommates can be found to pay part of the cost.
A survey of persons with disabilities in the Denver area found that more than 40 percent reported difficulty locating adequate housing, either because it was not affordable or because it was not physically adapted to their needs.
Arvada's community development needs were reviewed as part of the city's 5-Year Capital Improvements Program and the annual budget progress.
Arvada is preparing an update of its comprehensive plan, "Citizens Shaping the Future of Arvada." A goal statement for the city is being considered: "In 20 years, Arvada will be a place where people can live, work, and play in a healthy, safe, well-planned, family-oriented suburban community with areas of rural quality. The city of Arvada will be a cultural and arts center with a balanced mix of open space, housing, and employment opportunities for a diverse citizenry."
The city has a wide range of housing goals, which include:
Arvada intends to disperse new affordable housing to locations outside of the southeast, where the current stock of subsidized housing is concentrated. It will encourage housing to be built among existing housing rather than permit "leap frog" development to unsuitable areas. The city will seek to rehabilitate existing housing by working with lenders and obtaining Federal and State resources. The Essential Home Repairs program will focus on the southeast quadrant, where the greatest problems have been identified.
Arvada will continue to use the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program to provide assistance that low-income persons can use in any part of the city. At the same time, homeownership will be encouraged, especially in the southeast quadrant and among first- time homebuyers. The city will work with lenders to carry out all of their housing priorities. The Community Reinvestment Act will be useful in this process.
Certain older commercial centers are beginning to decline, possibly contributing to further deterioration of nearby housing. The program will be used to strengthen these commercial areas. Capital improvements and land use planning will be used to stabilize low-income neighborhoods.
The city will work with nonprofit groups to help them more effectively assist homeless and low-income persons through housing and other programs.
The CDBG program will continue to be a major resource for Arvada's community development goals. Arvada will also attempt to access the HOME program. If changes in regulations take place, the city will increase its use of Section 8 rental assistance.
Resources from State agencies -- the Division of Housing and the Office of Energy Conservation -- will also be sought. Local financial resources are mortgage revenue bonds and the use of Federal tax credits.
Social programs are another resource. The Jefferson County Self-Sufficiency Council works with persons receiving Section 8 assistance. Various nonprofit groups may be implementing housing initiatives.
Arvada is considering some new initiatives, including seeking resources from private foundations, working with the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and working with lenders to contact the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.
The city will oversee the processes described in the Plan and will monitor them through a system of regular reports on program activity. The plan will be carried out by the Capital Improvements Program, the Human Services Department, and appropriate nonprofit and social service agencies. The city and the Arvada Housing Authority are the entities that can acquire and direct Federal and State resources. The Human Services Department works with them, directing services to particular households. Financing for housing and development is expected to come primarily from the private sector. Nonprofit organizations will take on special roles and serve special populations.
The city recognizes some gaps in capacity to carry out the needed roles. These include a need for additional training for public employees on the changing landscape of available programs and examination of staffing levels in housing agencies.
A major program of Arvada during fiscal year 1995 will be the Essential Home Repairs Program, which will be funded with $422,000 in CDBG funds. This program is expected to assist 35 low-income homeowner households during the year.
About $200,000 is expected in funding for the Section 8 rental assistance programs administered by the Housing Authority. A similar amount from the HOME program will be used in concert with the private sector to rehabilitate distressed or abandoned multifamily properties to house 30 low-income families. The matching funds required by this program will come from private developers, the State, or in the form of city capital improvements.
The city plans to work with established nonprofit groups to provide specialized or supportive housing, using a variety of funding sources. These sources could provide as much as $1 million.
The Essential Home Repairs Program will continue to focus on the southeast quadrant of the city. Commercial development programs will focus on older commercial areas. Other programs will be available throughout the city, but with a focus on assisting troubled housing stock.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
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 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 projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 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).
