U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Community Planning and Development

CITIZEN'S SUMMARY

Boulder's 1995 Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development in the city. This document summarizes that plan so that citizens in the community can have a quick overview of Boulder's housing and community development problems; the 5-year broad goals, strategies and actions proposed to deal with those problems; and the specific projects proposed for 1995 to carry out this strategy.

Action Plan

The consolidated plan includes an action plan constituting an application for funds under two HUD formula programs for a total of $1,689,000. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for $1,252,000, and the HOME Investments Partnership Program for $437,000.

Citizen Participation

To encourage citizen participation, the city convened two ad hoc citizens committees to ensure active citizen participation. Public meetings were held with particular emphasis on involving low, and very low residents in areas where housing and community development funds might be spent. In addition three public hearings were held at community locations to address and respond to proposals and comments on housing and community development needs, proposed activities, use of funds, and program performance. Two other public hearings were held as part of regular City Council meetings.

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Boulder is located in central Colorado northwest of Denver. The city combines a college town atmosphere with high-tech business and a residential management ordinance which strongly impacts community housing costs.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

Conditions

Approximately 5,900 Boulder households have incomes at or below 30 percent of the average median income. A disproportionate number of these households (76%) are University of Colorado students, whom upon graduation will leave the community for employment elsewhere. The remaining long-term low and extremely low income population is composed of Hispanic and black non-Hispanic households. This groups needs both financial assistance and housing to remain located within the community.

Housing Needs

Funding is needed to provide affordable housing to extremely low and low income households throughout the City. In additional, funding is also required to provide affordable new housing to moderate income households. For homeowners in the extremely and low-income categories, the need is to reduce overcrowding as well as to increase the supply of housing that is affordable to them. High purchase prices have discouraged many first-time homebuyers.

Housing Market Conditions

A tight real estate market exists due to limited acreage for development, increased student enrollment, and limited low, and low and moderate income housing. The median cost of a new single-family homes is currently $220,000. More than 50 of the community's residential units are rentals, which have averaged a 38% increase per annum.

Affordable Housing Needs

As housing costs continue to increase faster than the surrounding areas, the social, economic and cultural diversity of Boulder is threatened as people move to neighboring communities to reduce their housing costs. The largest estimated housing need will be for funds to provide assisted housing to those at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

Homeless Needs

The needs are for emergency shelters and for transitional housing programs and programs to help homeless people make the transition to permanent housing and independent living.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

The Housing Authority manages over 800 units of publicly assisted housing. The authority's waiting list consists of approximately 500 to 800 individuals and families. These is no vacancy rate because of the lengthy waiting list, approximate unit turnover is two Section 8 and three public housing openings monthly. The need is obvious that the housing authority needs to improve and maintain the existing affordable housing stock and plan and develop new housing assistance programs.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Impediments to affordable housing has been housing costs (averaging 38% per year for rentals and 23% over the past four years for mortgages) and a city imposed growth limit of one percent for 1994. While the community does have a minimum percentage incentive for developers to construct affordable housing, the current growth limit will affect the number of low and moderate income units proposed.

Community Development Needs

Community development needs include parks and recreation facilities; senior, handicap and youth services and accessibility; attracting new businesses; employment training; and developing commercial and industrial infrastructure.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Vision for Change

The strategic plan lays out a long-term strategy to deal with housing and community development needs.

Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities

The city in an attempt to increase the housing stock will supplement funds received from the CDBG and HOME programs by utilizing its own Community Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) funds to support housing projects. CHAP is funded through a property tax and a tax on new development. In addition, effort will be made to leverage local and federal dollars by securing funding from other sources, such as the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and other non-profit sources.

Housing Priorities

Priorities over the next five plus years include:

Have at least five percent of the housing stock as assisted units within the next 20 years;

preserve the existing stock of assisted housing;

acquire or develop at least 40 units each year which remain permanently affordable;

acquire land when available for banking for future use; and

use CHAP and Federal funds to house persons.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

The general priorities are:

continue support for targeted prevention and early intervention programs focusing on parenting, prenatal and infant care as well as child development;

increase capacity for affordable, accessible, child care and nurturing programs;

support a collaborative effort among existing groups to promote integrated services for family violence, sexual abuse and neglect issues, including education, prevention, crisis intervention, staff training, advocacy, investigation and treatment; and

support for the critical human services infrastructure for low income or chronically disabled residents.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

The city maintains a commitment to both assisting citizens in need as well as preventing such needs from occurring. A number of programs are designed to assist individuals to attain self-sufficiency. One such program being utilized by the Woodlands housing complex provides on-site child-care and job training opportunities.

ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN

Description of Key Projects

A total of 25 activities are proposed for 1995. All projects recommended for funding have been approved by the City Council through a public hearing process. The Housing Division staff is available to provide technical assistance throughout all phases of a given project. The projects range from site- specific to city-wide activities using CDBG and HOME funds.

Maps

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 6 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects.

Map 7 depicts Neighborhood Segments and streets with proposed HUD funded projects, and provides a table with information about the projects.

To comment on Boulder's Consolidated Plan, please contact: Jann Oldham or Lynn Hanna at (303)441-3157.

Return to Colorado's Consolidated Plans.