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Arapahoe County to seek state housing and planning grants, commissioners agree to provide required matches
Summary
County staff asked commissioners for approval to apply for two Department of Local Affairs grants to support a local housing action plan and land-use code updates; commissioners gave informal approval and staff identified potential match sources including tax-deferral funds and projected excess revenue.
Arapahoe County commissioners on Wednesday gave staff the go-ahead to apply for two state planning grants intended to help the county complete a local housing action plan and update land-development code language to support affordable housing and transit-oriented development. Community Resources and Public Works staff said one grant request would seek $200,000 for housing planning work and another $200,000 for local planning capacity, each of which may require a county match.
Lindsay Lumen, community resources, said the housing planning request is for $200,000 and noted the county would need to provide a local match; staff told commissioners they would consult the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to confirm exact match requirements. Jason Reynolds and other planning staff said the local planning capacity program could carry a 50% match in a worst-case scenario, which would require about $100,000 from county sources.
County staff outlined three possible match sources: excess revenue available in a fourth-quarter supplemental (staff estimated roughly $500,000 in new revenue targeted), salary savings that could materialize in 2025/2026, or reallocation of professional-services or overtime budget lines in the 2026 budget. Commissioners asked for assurances the county would identify a match if staff submitted applications; several members said they supported pursuing both grants while staff confirms the funding details with DOLA.
The county also discussed an incentive grant that requires no local match; staff said that application could proceed independent of match funding. Staff noted differing deadlines: the housing planning application had a December deadline (as stated in the meeting) and the local planning capacity grant had a mid-February deadline.
Commissioners broadly supported moving forward. Chair and multiple commissioners expressed thumbs-up consensus for staff to prepare and submit the grant applications and to return with final match-source recommendations as DOLA clarifies requirements.
