Grand Junction kicks off state-mandated housing needs assessment and action-plan update

The Grand Junction City Council on Jan. 26 heard a kickoff presentation on an updated housing needs assessment and housing action plan from Root Policy Research.

Molly Fitzpatrick, a consultant with Root Policy Research, told the council the work will update market conditions and housing needs while also complying with state requirements, which the presentation referenced in the transcript as “s b 24 1 74.” She said the study will add a production-needs analysis, a 10-year housing-forecast tied to the state demographer’s population projections, and a displacement-risk analysis focused on the community’s most vulnerable residents.

“Production needs are the state’s focus — how short are you in terms of producing units, and what does that look like in the future,” Fitzpatrick said, describing required analyses of overcrowding, vacancy rates and forecasted unit types and price points.

City Manager Mike Bennett said the update is an action item in the city’s strategic plan and emphasized the tie to state grant preferences: submitting the assessment and the action plan improves the city’s competitiveness for state housing funds. Bennett introduced the consultant team and asked council to support outreach efforts.

The consultant outlined public engagement planned to inform the analysis: a resident survey open to Grand Junction and Mesa County (the presentation reported roughly 150 early responses), a community open house on Feb. 12, and targeted focus groups for people with disabilities, mobile/manufactured-home community residents and Spanish-speaking/immigrant residents. Fitzpatrick asked council to help promote the survey to reach underrepresented groups.

Council members pressed for practical outputs rather than broad findings. One councilor asked which strategies would “move the needle” on affordability; Fitzpatrick said the team will integrate workforce and industry data and noted that a Root staff labor economist will help connect housing needs to economic consequences. Council members asked that the final work include case studies and specificity — for example, price points and the types of deed restrictions or incentives that could be feasible locally.

Fitzpatrick said the city will receive two products: the housing needs assessment (to be completed first) and the housing action plan, with the needs assessment due to the state by the end of 2026 and the action plan by Jan. 1, 2028. She also noted that compliance can unlock funding preferences for state grants.

The council did not take formal action on the item at the workshop. Staff said they will return with additional briefings and strategy workshops as the project advances.