The City of Fort Collins considers the provision of housing as a basic human need, and therefore has assumed the responsibility to work towards increasing the availability of affordable housing in the community. The City's main objective is to cooperatively work with private, public and non-profit developers in the creation and expansion of housing opportunities for households of all income levels and the preservation of existing affordable housing stock.The City of Fort Collins provides a number of programs for developers and residents of low income housing.
Administrative Construction Fee Exemption:
This program allows certain construction fees to be exempt for affordable housing projects. Fees for construction inspection fees, development construction permit, right-of-way construction license fee, and street cut fee are eligible for exemption for affordable housing projects. Housing projects in which at least 51% of the units are affordable to households earning 80% or less of median income will be entirely waived. Projects in which at least 51% of the units are affordable to households earning more than 80%, but less than 95% of median income will be waved by one-half. For more information, contact Engineering at 970-221-6605.
Development Impact Fee Payment Delay Program:
This program provides the housing developer the opportunity to delay payment of impact fees on a qualified affordable housing project until a certificate of occupancy is issued. For more information, contact the Affordable Housing Planner at 970-221-6758.
Development Plan Fee Waiver:
Based on the percentage of affordable housing in a project, development projects are eligible for a waiver of plan submission fees, For more information, contact the Development Review Center at 970-221-6750.
Priority Processing for Qualified Affordable Housing Projects:
This initiative facilitates the development of affordable housing in Fort Collins by saving housing developers valuable time through an expedited development review and permitting process. For more information, contact the Affordable Housing Planner at 970-221-6758.
Private Activity Bonds:
Private Activity Bonds are bonds issued by the City to finance affordable multi-family rental housing. There is a list of locally established criteria that must be met in order to qualify for these bonds. The base criteria requires a minimum of 20% of rental units in a project be rented to households at 70% or less than Area Median Income (AMI) as determined by HUD. For more information, contact the Affordable Housing Planner at 970-221-6758.
Private and Non-Profit Affordable Housing Organizations
Private and non-profit organizations provide a wide variety of housing services. These include housing counseling, immediate and long-term provision of housing, housing finance programs, special care, and many other services.
Sales Tax Rebate Program (not available at this time):
This program rebates the full amount of City sales and use taxes paid for materials used in the construction of affordable housing units. An affordable housing project can also qualify for the deferral of the sales and use taxes until the time of issuance of certificates of occupancy. Staff estimates that sales and use tax rebate will save a developer on average between $650 to $850 per unit.
State and Federal Affordable Housing Programs
There are a number of State and Federal programs devoted to the provision of affordable housing. The Colorado Division of Housing has compiled a list of programs.
The most complete online resource for local housing community resources is United Way 2-1-1.
For information about on- and off-campus student housing, visit Colorado State University's Off-Campus Student Services.
|
