Loveland, Colorado, Larimar County, 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 Loveland'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.
The consolidated plan includes an action plan constituting an application for CDBG funds under one HUD formula program. The funding breakdown is as follows:
All matters concerning the Consolidated Plan were conducted in accordance with the City of Loveland Citizen Participation Plan. The City of Loveland Citizen Participation Plan notice of availability for public review was published in March, 1995.
The public comment period ran from June 30 - August 1, 1995. No comments
were received from the public during the public comment period, nor at the City
Council meeting on August 2, 1995.
Loveland Colorado in Larimar County is located along the Front Range of the
Rocky Mountains, approximately 55 miles north of Denver. Construction,
manufacturing, retail sales and professional services are the major employment
sectors in the community. Like most of the cities and towns along Colorado's
Front Range, Loveland has become a community faced with an increasing population
and an insufficient housing supply. The population in-migration from California
and the Midwest to the Loveland-Ft. Collins area in the early 90's, along with
successful economic development activity, have brought rapid new growth to the
community. Unfortunately, the availability of housing for this growing
population has not kept up with the demand. Economic development, unemployment
has been fairly low for the past five years, only recently reaching the 4% mark.
The Loveland housing market is very tight and considered closed with a less than 2% vacancy rate. The growth in population in the region, as well as successful economic development, has resulted in a booming economy and a shortage of housing for low and moderate income households, especially multi-family housing. Construction of multi-family and low-income units is slower due to the costs involved in developing such housing versus the costs and profits involved in developing higher-end single-family units. However, the market appears good for the development of multi-family housing in 1995.
Lack of affordable vacant housing for both rental and homeowner units in the single and multi-unit housing areas. Loveland currently lacks an adequate supply of rental housing affordable to those households earning less than 30% of the median family income. In addition, there is a notable lack of three- and four-bedroom rental units for larger extremely low and low income families. As a result, more extremely low income households in Loveland find themselves in overcrowded conditions and frequently in substandard units. Of those extremely low income, large, related households earning 30% or less of the area median income, 75% reported a housing cost burden greater than 50% of their monthly income, and 100% reported housing problem
The 1990 census data indicates that Loveland has a total of 5,278 renter units. Officials at the Housing Authority of the City of Loveland report that the average rent for a two-bedroom unit in Loveland is $525 a month with utility costs averaging around $60 per month. The HUD fair market rent for the Section 8 Program is $563, which should cover both rent and utilities. The FMR was increased from $530 in 1993/1994.
The vacancy rate for single-family units, as per 1990 census data provided by HUD, is 1.6%, which is consistent with current information.
The current rental vacancy rate is just under 2% as a result of decreased supply of rental properties in Loveland as well as the northern Colorado region. This figure is much lower than the 4.9% reported in the 1990 census. As noted previously, rent prices rose 33% between 1991 and the end of 1993 and early 1994, compared to a 5%-10% increase experienced in 1990.
There are no FHA Section 502 or 515 units. Currently, there are no vacancies in any of the 202 or 221(d)(3) programs. All but 78 of these units are specifically for low income
There are no designated emergency shelter facilities in Loveland. Many Loveland residents in need of such services access shelter providers in Fort Collins, at the Mission Shelter, or in Denver, through the Salvation Army. Transportation to Ft. Collins, however, is often a problem for homeless persons as no fixed route system exists between Loveland and Ft. Collins. The Salvation Army provides limited 24-hour shelter at local motels through the Loveland Police Department. Otherwise, the Salvation Army refers homeless persons to The Mission in Ft. Collins or to shelters in Denver. Sali's Kitchen, Loveland's only soup kitchen, closed in 1994. There are no other meal programs operating in Loveland that serve homeless or extremely low income households other than the food basket program
The Housing Authority of the City of Loveland (HACOL), per The Danter Company report, predicts that by the year 2002, the Larimer County area will suffer a net deficit of 6,420 units..Currently, the HACOL has a waiting list of 731 households. Data obtained from those households on the waiting list indicates that 11.63% of those applicants are two-parent families and 45.14% are single-parent families. The average annual income of all of the applicants currently on the list is $7,383, compared to the 1990 average annual income of $5,671. Currently, 77.3% of the households on the waiting list earn less than $10,000 per year.
The Larimer County Affordable Housing Task Force, in 1992, conducted a study of housing market. Price increases and the tight availability of units for rent or sale in Loveland are the biggest barrier to affordable housing. Until recently, there has been little development of affordable housing in Loveland. The cost to develop/construct housing affordable to low and moderate income households has made such development unattractive to the private sector. City policies concerning housing development, in general, are sometimes barriers to the development of affordable housing, but have not been the major factor prohibiting such construction. The cost of land, materials and labor has been the primary barrier; private corporations simply saw little incentive to develop/construct housing with such a low profit margin.
Areas of low-income concentration are defined as a census tract in which more than 50% of the households earn 80% or less of the area median income. Areas of racial/ethnic minority concentration are defined as a census tract in which more than 6% of the households are minority or Hispanic groups. The distribution of this population subgroup ranges from a low of 2% in Tract 18.05, to a high of 16% in tract 17.04. In the remaining tracts, the Hispanic population comprises 4% to 8% of the total.
The tracts with a higher proportion of rental housing also have a higher proportion of Hispanic, minority and low income residents. Census tracts 17.04 and 20.03 have the highest percentages of low income minority householders who rent.
The 1990 census reports a total of 15,022 year-round housing units in Loveland. Of that number, nearly 75% were constructed prior to 1978. Nearly 39%, or approximately 5,058, of those units were constructed prior to 1969 and is the housing most likely to contain lead-based paint; 14% of those units are occupied by renters and 23% are occupied by owners. The majority of these older units is located in census tracts 17.03 and 20.03. These are also the two census tracts where lowest cost rental units are located. It is apparent that many of Loveland's low and very low income families rent those units that are most likely to contain lead-based paint.
The Larimer County Department of Health coordinates with the federal CDC, Medicaid, the Colorado Department of Health and the Larimer County Departments of Social Services and Environmental Health. Local coordination includes the Fort Collins Children's Clinic and MedPath Laboratories of Denver.
Loveland has approximately 93 board and care beds and 337 nursing care beds. It is estimated that 5% of Loveland's elderly need full-time supportive care housing. Housing conditions are somewhat stable for elderly homeowners in Loveland, but they find it difficult to manage or pay for major house maintenance. There is a growing need for coordination of services available to the elderly and for the provision of group homes for frail elderly.
Capital Improvement program is the top city priority for the next 5 years. Streets, recreation trails and youth facilities and handicapped accessibility improvements per the ADA are also priorities. The City of Loveland does not intend to use any CDBG funds for these activities. CDBG funds will be used for meeting the housing and human services needs.
The Loveland CDBG Program coordinates with the Housing Authority of the City of Loveland (HACOL) will be implementing the strategies of the Plan.
City staff and staff at the Housing Authority of the City of Loveland will
be responsible for the direct implementation of any policies, especially those
relating to Strategy #4 of the CP, that may be adopted by the City Council, and
will coordinate with local lenders, developers, nonprofit agencies and other
organizations to complete the one-year plans.
The City of Loveland Colorado vision for change is to continue efforts toward breaking the cycle of poverty, creating new affordable housing and maintaining the existing housing stock.
Loveland's goal is to create housing and/or housing opportunities.
The need for additional housing and housing opportunities for Loveland's very low, low and moderate income households need to be addressed. Develop additional multi-family and single-family affordable housing and/or housing opportunities, (rental, single-family and/or vouchers/certificates) for extremely low, very low, low and moderate income families, including large families.
The closed nature of the rental housing market and the lack of construction of multi-family housing and single-family housing in the $70,000 and under range, coupled with the population surge being experienced in Loveland, prompts the City to establish the provision of additional housing as the number one priority
Capital Improvement program is the top city priority for the next 5 years. Streets, recreation trails and youth facilities and handicapped accessibility improvements per the ADA are also priorities. The City of Loveland does not intend to use any CDBG funds for these activities. CDBG funds will be used for meeting the housing and human services needs.
The Goal is to reduce the number of households with incomes below poverty level. This will be accomplished through the City CDBG program and Human Relations Commission Grant programs. Development of affordable housing through the housing trust fund venture is expected to help the low and very low income households. Homeless prevention programs through HACOL will help the families at risk. Project Self-Sufficiency will provide both actual housing and job/educational skills for single parents. HACOL also provide jot training and skill development within the public housing arena. NHS will provide rental assistance.
The Loveland CDBG Program coordinates with the Housing Authority of the City
of Loveland (HACOL) will be implementing the strategies of the Plan. City staff
and staff at the Housing Authority of the City of Loveland will be responsible
for the direct implementation of all policies.
Apply for a minimum of 25 and up to 50 additional Section 8 vouchers or certificates for Loveland low income housing assistance. Application will be submitted during 1995.
Build four (4) single-family houses to provide home ownership opportunities for four (4) low-income households. Homes shall be under construction by December 31, 1995 and completed by September, 1996.
The Housing Authority of the City of Loveland will construct 60 units of multi-family housing in the 800 block of W. Tenth Street (The Meadows). Habitat for Humanity will begin construction on four units of single-family housing for low-income households on E. Sixth Street. The remainder of the housing and housing opportunities will be distributed throughout the community.
Construction of The Meadows 60-unit multi-family housing development. Construction will begin no later than July 15, 1995 and be completed in early 1996. First time homebuyer assistance.
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; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point.
Ms. Colleen Finnman
Administrator, Community Development
500 East Third Street
Loveland, CO 80537
Ph. (970) 962-2517
Fax (970) 962-2900
