Greeley council adopts five-year Housing for All plan to expand mixed-income housing

The City of Greeley on Aug. 5 adopted the Greeley Housing for All five-year strategic plan, 2025–2030, by unanimous vote, directing the Housing Solutions Department to use the plan as a guide for incentives, funding pursuit and implementation.

Deb Kalise, housing director, presented the plan and said it represents about a year of work with developers, community partners and city staff. "Housing is affordable when no more than 30% of monthly income goes towards housing expenses," Kalise said, and she used U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development area median income tables to explain affordability categories. She noted that for a four-person household Greeley's 100% AMI is $113,600, which the Housing Department uses to calibrate incentive targets.

The plan sets three core goals: (1) facilitate mixed-income development across the city; (2) build city capacity and partnerships to implement long-term housing solutions; and (3) align housing strategy with economic development goals to support jobs and infrastructure. Kalise presented case studies — including deep-affordability rental projects such as StarRise and homeownership efforts like Hope Springs — to show development models the city wants to replicate.

Kalise described the financing challenge with an example from the Colorado Division of Housing toolkit that shows a significant subsidy gap for for-sale affordable units; staff said rental projects also require gap funding but are more amenable to federal and state programs. The Housing Department’s initial modeling calls for a staffing and organizational structure to implement incentives, administer funds and create legal and financial tools to close those gaps over five years.

Council members asked for additional details. Council member Debuti asked how many units a sample feasibility gap implies; Kalise said the slide was illustrative and she would provide unit-level breakdowns. Council member Butler said the plan is overdue and urged the council to fund incentives during the upcoming budget process. Kalise said some incentives will require code changes while others could be implemented by policy or ordinance, and staff are coordinating with consultants updating the affordable housing code.

Public commenters during the plan’s public hearing expressed both skepticism and support. Peggy Squires told council she was unconvinced certain options would be affordable for seniors. Steve Teason urged the city to consider transit as part of housing strategy and warned that big projects can increase land values and push up housing costs. Antonio (Anthony) Molina, a young worker in Greeley, said at $18 an hour he cannot yet afford market rents and asked the city to show action before election season.

The council approved the resolution adopting the strategic plan by roll call vote: Ayes — Council member Butler; Council member Debuti; Mayor Pro Tem Hall; Council member Peyton; Council member Olsen; Council member McDonald. The resolution directs staff to pursue funding sources, develop incentive programs, and create reporting dashboards on progress. Kalise told council a refined, designed version of the plan will be circulated to council and the public.

Implementation next steps listed by staff include exploring additional funding sources, building individual incentive programs and processes, strengthening developer partnerships, and creating a public dashboard to track progress. The plan considers a range of tools including use of city assets, deferred fees, gap financing and partnerships with nonprofit and private developers.

Council members asked staff to return with funding proposals and indicated support for including implementation asks in upcoming budget discussions. The strategic plan establishes a five-year timeline for program design, implementation and evaluation.