AFFORDABLE HOUSING

These questions were provided to me by Golden United.  My answer follows.

Candidate Questions: Affordable housing remains a pressing challenge in Golden and across the Denver metro area. While the City of Golden has taken significant steps to address this issue, many families, students, seniors, and local workers still struggle to find housing they can afford. This threatens the prosperity and character of our community and is a continuing challenge for Golden’s leaders.

1. Affordable housing is critical for keeping Golden accessible to families, seniors, and young adults who are often priced out of Golden. What specific actions would you prioritize to expand affordable housing opportunities in keeping with the values of our community?
2. Golden has adopted housing goals to preserve its remaining naturally occurring affordable housing, like the manufactured home parks that provide essential affordable homeownership opportunities but that are vulnerable to redevelopment pressure and increasing affordability challenges. As a member of the Golden City Council, how would you work to preserve and protect these housing options and the Golden residents?
3. Golden has identified several strategies to increase affordable housing but community reluctance has at times threatened to slow progress. How would you work with residents to address concerns about community change and build broader support for necessary solutions to the affordable housing crisis?

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The cost of housing in Golden is a complex question for a variety of reasons. 

• The City of Golden, as defined by the city limits, has a relatively small geographic footprint with “a limited amount of vacant land and property suitable for redevelopment.” (https://cms3.revize.com/revize/goldenco/HousingNeedsandStrategiesAssessment2022.pdf, p.6 of 110)
• The Colorado School of Mines has several thousand students who live off-campus and, presumably, most would prefer to live near campus. Many do find housing in Golden. (https://cms3.revize.com/revize/goldenco/HousingNeedsandStrategiesAssessment2022.pdf, p.7 of 110)
• Golden is viewed as a desirable place to live within the Denver metropolitan area. The entire metropolitan area has seen significant increases in home prices since 2012 as has the United States. (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DNXRSA; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1Ms3i&height=490)
• Limitations on where affordable housing can be placed – access to mass transit -- in Golden has constrained placements.

 The question becomes: 

How does a town with a small geographic footprint and “a limited amount of vacant land and property suitable for redevelopment” modify the distribution of its housing options while maintaining desirable aspects of the area and respecting the desires of its community? 

The total solution can not lie strictly within the city limits. Today (9/18) on Zillow, there are less than 30 rentals within the city limits with monthly rents less than $1,600 but there are over 500 rentals in that same price range within a 15-minute drive of Golden. In Golden, there are 24 properties for sale for less than $350,000, with 17 of those being less than $150,000. When you expand the search slightly to the east, there are over 150 properties for sale in this price range. 

Recent steps taken by Mines to expand housing in Mines Park and build an additional, large dorm may alleviate some pressure on rentals in surrounding areas but likely not within Golden. 

Maintaining existing Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) units is also complicated. Per Colorado Department of Local Affairs, NOAH “refers to housing that remains affordable without government subsidies or Affordability Mechanisms. These units are affordable due to factors such as location, age, or market conditions.” (https://cdola.colorado.gov/naturally-occurring-affordable-housing)  The City has taken several steps of which I am aware.  It gifted $2 million to a manufactured home community to contribute to the purchase of the land where the homes were located.  Through GURA, it gave Foothills Regional Housing (FRH) $400,000 to help purchase the 14-unit property known as Copper Gold across from Natural Grocers.  In 2021, the City purchased 1020 Archer Street for $720,000 and 230 Depot Street for $545,000.  In 2024 it purchased the 6-unit complex at 15^th & Ford for $1,350,000 and set aside $500,000 for renovations. FRH was hired to manage these last 3 properties for a percentage of the rental revenue.  As I understand, most, if not all, of these actions would be considered “Affordability Mechanisms.” It is important for me to understand the City’s approach in more detail and the long-term impacts on housing. 

Enhancing opportunities for newcomers to reside in the Golden area and for existing residents to remain in the Golden area is one of many challenges facing the Golden City Council.  Solutions must be fiscally responsible, be sustainable for the long term, take into consideration current residents’ input and desires, and maintain the desirability of living in Golden.  

As an elected member of the Golden City Council, I will commit to addressing affordable housing and all other issues facing Golden through diligent research, effective development of solutions and ongoing oversight of implemented changes.  I look forward to accepting the responsibilities of a Golden City Council member and to working in the best interests of Golden.