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Larimer County board prioritizes deed-restriction tracking over outreach toolkits for $50,000 housing grant
Summary
After discussing two options for a $50,000 state incentive under Proposition 123, the board indicated a priority for building an internal deed-restriction database to help preserve existing affordable housing, while staff will scope the IT work and coordinate with DOLA.
Larimer County commissioners on March 23 signaled a priority to use a $50,000 state incentive to develop an internal system to track deed-restricted affordable housing across the county, rather than immediately funding an outreach and toolkit program for alternative housing types.
Rebecca Everett, community development director, told the commissioners the county qualified for a $50,000 incentive by adopting an expedited review process for affordable housing under Proposition 123. The county must notify the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) about how it intends to use the funds and execute a grant agreement; staff said they will seek clarity on any spending timeframe from DOLA.
Staff presented two options. Option A would pay a consultant to produce bilingual toolkits and short guidance for alternative housing types (accessory dwelling units, duplexes, tiny homes and cottage clusters) and fund a countywide road show to share resources. Option B would fund the development of an internal IT application, maintained across departments, to catalog deed restrictions countywide and alert partners ahead of expirations so municipalities, nonprofits and state funders can coordinate preservation responses.
Aaliyah Rodriguez, housing program manager, said the database "sets us up for success to make sure that we aren't losing the affordable housing that we already have in our community," and described using the housing office as the monitor to notify partners when deed restrictions approach expiration. Commissioners discussed trade-offs and funding feasibility and repeatedly emphasized regional coordination and partnerships with the assessor and clerk/recorder.
Board direction coalesced around prioritizing Option B. Staff said the next step is to scope the project with the county IT steering committee to estimate costs and timeline and then notify DOLA as required; staff also noted that if the project scope exceeds $50,000 they will return to the board to revisit funding decisions.
The board did not adopt a formal ordinance or resolution during the session; rather, commissioners provided direction to prioritize the deed-restriction database and to proceed with IT scoping and DOLA coordination.
