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DRCOG briefs county on regional housing assessment and $200M decarbonization grant
Summary
The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) presented its regional housing needs assessment, described how Clear Creek County can participate to meet state law requirements, and outlined a multi-year EPA-funded decarbonization program that will fund building electrification and energy-advising services across the DRCOG footprint.
Representatives from the Denver Regional Council of Governments told Clear Creek County commissioners that DRCOG’s regional housing needs assessment and its ongoing regional housing strategy can serve as Clear Creek County’s compliance pathway under Colorado’s Senate Bill 24‑174.
Sheila Lynch, DRCOG’s director of regional planning and development, said the regional needs assessment — completed in 2024 and conditionally accepted by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) — lays out housing shortfalls across the metropolitan region and proposes a framework for an actionable regional strategy. Lynch said the assessment quantifies both current underproduction and projected future needs and distributes that need across subregions; DRCOG will open a 60‑day review window for local governments in July, during which counties and municipalities can review the assessment before DRCOG submits final materials to DOLA.
Lynch told commissioners that DRCOG will host a staff webinar on April 29 and offer office hours in May to help local governments complete the review. The agency also said it would provide slide templates and draft staff-report language to reduce local burden during the required 60‑day review.
DRCOG’s transportation staff and Sheila Lynch also briefed the commissioners on DRCOG’s role as the region’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO), how federal transportation funds are programmed through regional and subregional shares, and what programs are available only inside the current MPO boundary. Commissioners asked about expanding the MPO boundary to include Clear Creek County; DRCOG said boundary changes are possible but would require board action and governor approval and that staff would continue conversations with county officials.
Ron Papsdorf, DRCOG transportation planning director, also described Decarbonize DRCOG, an EPA award to DRCOG worth roughly $202 million over five years. Papsdorf said the program will provide grants and rebates for building electrification and energy-advising services, with roughly half of the funds reserved for low‑income households and a sizable workforce-development component. He said the award is an EPA reimbursement grant and that DRCOG has an executed grant agreement for the program and is in the startup phase of hiring vendors and launching rebate and grant programs.
Lynch and Papsdorf encouraged county staff to contact DRCOG for technical assistance, for help accessing set‑aside planning resources, and for local participation in housing‑strategy development and program rollout.
Ending: DRCOG staff said they will share materials and the timeline for the July 60‑day review window and invited county staff to take part in forthcoming webinars and office hours.
