COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A housing assessment is underway for the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County as a public engagement period wrapped up this week, showcasing new data and requesting input.
The assessment is being done in part because of SB24-174, "Sustainable Affordable Housing Assistance." The state act is hoping to address housing affordability and sustainability, but requires data to be collected across Colorado. The City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County have contracted with Matrix Design Group to conduct the assessment to address gaps in housing availability. The assessment is being paid for by the City of Colorado Springs, the El Paso County Community Development Block Grant, and the Colorado Infrastructure and Strong Communities Grant Program.
"In the City of Colorado Springs, the gap between available housing and the number of jobs - especially lower-wage jobs- has grown in recent years," part of a handout from Matrix reads. "For every affordable home, there are eight jobs that pay less than $35,000 a year. This means many workers are competing for too few affordable places to live, which often forces them into more expensive or poor-quality housing."
The handout included the goal of this assessment: to identify which types of housing are in short supply and to prevent people from being priced out of their homes.
Matrix presented data they gathered in public engagement sessions, highlighting the existing and projected housing unit shortfall. According to their data, which pulled numbers from the 2023 Five-Year American Community Survey and the State Demography Office, the current housing unit need in Colorado Springs is 27,712 while the 10-year projected need is 60,034. For El Paso County, the current need is 36,779 with the 10-year projected need at 82,242 and for unincorporated El Paso County, the current need is 7,585, while the 10-year projected need is 18,571.
"Through this study, we've collected data on a regional level," Crystal Latier, the Executive Director of Economic Development for El Paso County explained. "But what we wanted to ensure is that all municipalities maintain local control, so these data sets will be provided to those local municipalities to review and then make data-informed decisions on policies that work best for their regions."
Using the same sources listed above, Matrix determined the median household income, poverty rate, cost-burdened renter-occupied households, and cost-burdened owner-occupied households with a mortgage. Matrix defines "Cost-burdened households" as ones that spend 30 percent or more of their income on total housing costs, including utilities:
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME:
Colorado Springs: $83,198
El Paso County: $84,470
POVERTY RATE:
Colorado Springs: 9.3%
El Paso County: 8.5%
COST BURDENED RENTER, OCCUPIED HOUSEHOLDS:
Colorado Springs: 53%
El Paso County:53%
COST BURDENED OWNER, OCCUPIED HOUSEHOLDS WITH A MORTGAGE:
Colorado Springs: 29%
El Paso County: 29%
During the public engagement this week, Matrix asked the public "What housing types do you think would be most compatible with your community?" The options included:
-Apartments
-Townhomes/duplexes/triplexes
-Mixed use
-Cottage Court
-Detached single-family homes
-Accessory Dwelling Units
-Supportive housing (with services)
After about one hour, the two most popular options were townhomes/duplexes/triplexes, along with mixed-use.
"The need is now," Katie Sunderlin, the Housing Solutions Manager for the City of Colorado Springs, said. "So we're really looking forward to being able to dig into this data, to be able to make a plan, to be able to make an action plan, to move forward with great policy and great next steps so that we can really address this issue."
Plan completion for just the assessment is expected this fall. Click here for updates.
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