Residents, business owners urge Fort Collins council to approve Remington housing; council schedules further review

Public commentators at the Fort Collins City Council meeting pressed elected officials on Tuesday to approve a proposal to develop affordable housing on the Remington parking lot in Old Town.

Peter Erickson, a District 1 resident, told council that the lot currently provides about 83 parking spaces and said replacing those spaces with more than 75 deed-restricted units would be a reasonable trade: "That's less than 1% of the total amount of parking downtown," Erickson said, arguing the project would not meaningfully harm downtown parking.

Why it matters: Advocates and some downtown business owners said the Remington project would add workforce housing near jobs and transit, while opponents have raised questions about parking and further study. Council and staff scheduled a Thursday evening work session to discuss the project and related parking study, delaying an immediate decision.

Other speakers urged faster action. Evan Roberts, who lives near Horsetooth and Shields, called for the council to "green light the Remington project and add housing where we need it most," saying repeated delays effectively stall housing creation. Multiple speakers, including business owner Jenny Bramhall and community activists Kate Conley and Nicole Swan, told council that downtown parking impacts would be minimal and urged staff to return with a plan that advances Housing Catalyst's proposal quickly.

Council response and next steps: Councilmembers acknowledged the public interest and said a work session is scheduled to examine the Remington lot, parking counts and trade-offs. Councilmember Wilson flagged a separate consent item (item 16) for discussion; council also noted that members of Housing Catalyst sit on boards and asked for transparency where appropriate. No formal council action on Remington was taken Tuesday; staff will present more information at the scheduled work session.

Context: Advocates said the proposed project would provide mostly two-bedroom, deed-restricted units targeted at households at risk of displacement. Housing Catalyst is the authority proposing the project; the city would need to examine parking management, financing and potential trade-offs with downtown stakeholders.