Lake County commissioners approve state housing planning grant

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on March 3 to approve a Housing Planning Grant (HPLN) award from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs following a presentation by Anne Schneider, the county’s Land Use Director.

The grant was presented to the Board for decision; Commissioner Elsa Tharp moved to approve the HPLN award and Commissioner Andy Lee seconded. Commissioners Mathew Bullock, Elsa Tharp and Andy Lee voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously.

The Board’s agenda packet listed the grant request and identified the desired outcome as a Board decision. The transcript does not specify the grant amount, the exact scope of work to be funded, or a timeline for implementation; those details were recorded in the agenda memo but not read aloud during the meeting and therefore are noted as not specified.

Why it matters: county-level planning grants fund local housing analyses, regulatory updates, or planning work that can enable future affordable- housing projects or zoning changes. Commissioner Tharp noted the county’s high housing cost burden while earlier in the meeting she referenced recent testimony before the state senate on SB40 and interest in measures to lower utility bills for low-income households, framing the approval as part of broader housing concerns in Lake County.

Next steps: the Board approved the grant and staff were directed to move forward with the actions needed to accept the award and implement the planning work. The transcript does not record further motion language assigning specific staff or deadlines.