DRCOG presents regional housing needs assessment; Littleton invited to review and comment by Sept. 12

Sheila Lynch, regional planning and development director for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), and DRCOG analysts presented a regional housing needs assessment to the Littleton City Council on Aug. 12, 2025, and urged local review and comment during the 60‑day review window the regional assessment triggered under state law.

The presentation explained why the assessment exists, what it found, and what next steps local governments may take. Lynch said the assessment was completed in July, accepted by the DRCOG board in October 2024, and later reviewed by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Lynch told the council that DOLA provided conditional approval in February 2025 and notified DRCOG in April 2025 that the assessment was “substantially conforming,” allowing local governments to use DRCOG’s work to meet the statute’s requirements.

DRCOG staff said the law requires local governments to complete a local housing needs assessment by Dec. 31, 2026, unless they elect to rely on a regional assessment. Lynch explained the specific, time‑bound step DRCOG requested of Littleton: review the regional assessment at a public meeting within the 60‑day review window that began July 14, 2025, and provide any written comments to DRCOG by Sept. 12, 2025. If Littleton has no comments, DRCOG asked for a formal communication that the city reviewed the document and had no comments.

Zach Feldman, DRCOG’s data science and analytics program manager, summarized key findings, stressing the scale of need. “Here’s our big number: 500,000 new homes are needed to house all these households by 2050,” Feldman said, and DRCOG staff also provided a shorter‑term figure (roughly 223,000 units to 2032) for policy planning. Feldman and other presenters said the greatest shortfalls are for households below 50% area median income (AMI), who are overwhelmingly renters and are highly housing‑burdened (paying more than 30% of income on housing; >50% is severe burden).

Presenters described regional trends that shape demand: an aging population and smaller household sizes will increase demand for different housing types; housing production in the region has not kept pace with population and job growth; and existing production favors units affordable to households at 100%–120% AMI and above. DRCOG staff also described a barriers analysis compiled from over 200 stakeholders that cited limited funding for lower‑income housing, lengthy development processes, and community resistance as constraints.

Council members asked clarifying questions about terminology and methodology (for example, how “homes” were counted; how group quarters and double‑up households were treated) and about local implications. DRCOG staff said the regional assessment is intended to describe need and inform a forthcoming regional housing strategy; the strategy will recommend regionally scaled actions and options local governments can adopt. DRCOG staff said the strategy is still in development and that DRCOG intends to offer technical assistance, model programs, and potential funding approaches to support local implementation.

Littleton‑specific takeaways from the presentation included staff’s note that Littleton’s housing stock is mixed (about 21,500 units) and that the city’s identified need in DRCOG’s distribution is roughly 4,600 units (about 6% of the Southeast submarket need). Staff told council that roughly 3,000 units are currently in the local pipeline, but that pipeline projects take years to deliver and will only partially offset demand.

Next steps DRCOG requested were procedural: if Littleton chooses to use the regional assessment to satisfy the state law, the council should (a) review the assessment at a public meeting during the 60‑day window and (b) submit any comments to DRCOG by Sept. 12, 2025. DRCOG staff repeatedly noted that participation in the regional review does not prevent a jurisdiction from later completing its own local assessment before the 12/31/2026 deadline.

Council members and staff discussed whether Littleton should prepare its own updated assessment; speakers said it is technically possible but would require staff time and cost. Several councilors identified housing for older adults and support for families with children as local priorities if Littleton pursues additional work.

Ending: City staff said they will capture council comments in the official meeting record and, if the council chooses to proceed with the DRCOG review, will return any formal comments to DRCOG by the Sept. 12 deadline. The meeting then moved to the next agenda topic.