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Fort Collins officials say regional housing assessment shows roughly 7,000-unit need over 10 years
Summary
City staff and Root Policy Research presented a regional housing needs assessment showing steep rent and price increases, large affordability gaps (particularly below 50% AMI), and a 10‑year production estimate of about 7,000 units; staff urged a prompt housing action plan and council questioned local vs. regional next steps.
Fort Collins staff and a consultant told the City Council at a March work session that the region faces sharp rent and home-price increases and a notable shortage of housing that is affordable to lower- and middle-income households.
Molly Fitzpatrick of Root Policy Research presented the regional housing needs assessment, saying Fort Collins saw roughly a 30% increase in rents from 2018–2023 and that vacancy rates remain tight at about 5%. Fitzpatrick said owners’ incomes and purchasing power have not kept pace with home prices and higher mortgage rates, and that homeownership rates have fallen for households earning roughly $50,000–$100,000 per year.
The assessment found nearly 19,000 renters in Fort Collins spending more than 30% of income on housing and identified the largest rental-market gap below 50% area median income (AMI). On…
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