Council Action Guide: Housing

Update ordinance related to Manufactured Housing Strategy and further support approaches to security of keeping people housed

Completed

To ensure that Boulder provides families and individuals with safe and affordable places to live, the city adopted a goal that 15% of all housing be permanently affordable to low-, moderate-, and middle-income households by 2035. To accomplish it, the City develops and implements multiple programs and policies to increase access to affordable housing options.

• In 2020, 262 new permanently affordable units were created. This year was the third most productive year in the number of affordable homes created in the history of the program.
• At 30Pearl,120 affordable homes are under construction and the remaining quadrants were sold to a private developer to help fund the affordable units.
• Through the direction of the adopted Manufactured Home Strategy, the mobile home ordinance was adopted in September.
• Approximately $600,000 was provided to housing providers and community agencies to ensure residents impacted by COVID-19 were able to remain housed.
• To augment the financial resources provided to ensure housing stability, Housing and Human Services provided approximately $1.2 million in COVID-19 funding to local government and non-profit agencies, for basic needs assistance and navigation services necessary to support low-income individuals and families (e.g., food assistance, financial assistance, health services, childcare, etc.) .
• To further housing stabilization efforts, the voters approved a rental license tax to establish, operate and fully fund a program to provide housing supports (i.e., mediation, rental assistance, and legal representation) to tenants who face the potential loss of housing, now named the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance program (EPRAS).

• Housing and Human Services will continue to pursue opportunities to create new affordable homes and preserve existing affordable homes with our local and regional partners.
• Funding has been identified to continue to support residents impacted by COVID-19 to sustain safe and stable housing .
• ERPAS is up and running offering a suite of services to renters at risk of eviction including community mediation, financial rental assistance, and legal advisement and representation.

• Consider amendments to the ordinance creating the EPRAS program to ensure clarity, efficiency and efficacy. Public hearing – June 2021.   
• Rezoning and adoption of a form-based code to implement the Alpine-Balsam Area Plan emphasizing affordable housing outcomes. Public hearing – September 2021.