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Tag: Housing

Young families left behind in Grand Valley’s housing construction
Local, The Business Times

Young families left behind in Grand Valley’s housing construction

By Brandon Leuallen | The Business Times Scarcity of affordable housing emerged as a key reason School District 51’s enrollment declined by 2,049 students in the past 5 years. The impact of that decline was center stage at two District 51 Board of Education meetings last week, during which the board voted unanimously to close three elementary schools at the end of the 2024-25 school year. District 51 demographer Shannon Bingham collected data that showed lack of affordable housing, especially starter homes, was one of the primary factors in an overall reduction of the Grand Valley’s school-age population. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE BUSINESS TIMES
With 11% apartment vacancy rate, its a good time to be a renter in Denver
Denverite, Local

With 11% apartment vacancy rate, its a good time to be a renter in Denver

By Sarah Mulholland | Denverite Most Denverites have probably noticed all the apartment buildings being built in recent years. It turns out that those buildings are taking a while to fill — and that’s good news for renters. The vacancy rate for apartments in the metro Denver area was 11 percent as of October, according to real estate data company CoStar. That’s roughly double the vacancy rate of a few years ago, according to CoStar, which also owns Apartments.com, one of the biggest online rental portals in the U.S.  READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
In rural school districts, creative solutions to house teachers being created
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In rural school districts, creative solutions to house teachers being created

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice From Deer Creek School District on the far Eastern Plains to Rangely on the western border of Utah, from Telluride and Aspen to Vail and Steamboat Springs, school districts all over rural Colorado are struggling with a need for affordable and available housing for teachers. In an effort to begin finding solutions for what school districts foresee as a long-term problem, Colorado Rural Schools Alliance (CRSA) hosted their first Rural Housing Forum in Beaver Creek on Thursday, Oct. 24. CRSA represents 146 of 178 school districts in Colorado. The remaining 32 are located in urban areas.  Chris Holbert, formerly a Colorado senator and Minority Leader, and current consultant for CRSA, doesn’t think that one-size solutions fit all sc...
Denver City Council to vote on rezoning 70 acres around Ball Arena for housing
CBS Colorado, Local

Denver City Council to vote on rezoning 70 acres around Ball Arena for housing

By Ashley Portillo | CBS Colorado On Monday night, Denver city council members will vote on rezoning the area around Ball Arena. The proposed project, if approved, would turn the parking lots around the facility into a residential neighborhood with plenty of retail space. The proposed project will help redevelop 70 acres of property around the arena. The agreement will pave the way for more affordable housing units and community investment opportunities, but first, the Denver City Council has to approve rezoning for the project. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Mayor, supporters launch campaign for $100M sales tax hike for housing in Denver
coloradopolitics.com, Local

Mayor, supporters launch campaign for $100M sales tax hike for housing in Denver

By The Denver Gazette (via coloradopolitics.com) Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and supporters on Wednesday launched the campaign to ask Denver voters this November to increase the city's sales tax and generate $100 million for housing.  “In every neighborhood in Denver, people are grappling with the fear of not making rent or covering their mortgage,” Johnston said in a news release. “Seniors worry they may have to leave the homes where they’ve built their lives. The hardworking people who keep our city thriving — from teachers and nurses to restaurant workers and firefighters — are being pushed out of the city they love." Referring to the ballot proposal, Johnston said Measure 2R will help "preserve our city's diversity and ensure that housing remains affordable, atta...
Does Denver have too many gas stations? City Council pushes new limits to save space for affordable housing.
Local, The Colorado Sun

Does Denver have too many gas stations? City Council pushes new limits to save space for affordable housing.

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Paul Kashmann says he’s not trying to shut off the gas pumps in Denver altogether. In fact, the service-minded Denver City Council member is still driving a gas car himself, and he doesn’t like high prices or long drives to stations any more than the next person.  But he is part of a City Council movement that sees construction of new affordable housing as more important for Denver right now than an additional place to gas up and grab a bag of chips. Kashmann and some colleagues are bringing a proposed ordinance for a 2024 committee green-light that would build buffers between proposed new gas stations, mass transit stops and residential housing.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
‘I’m opposed to the timing’: Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative
CBS Colorado, Local

‘I’m opposed to the timing’: Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pushes back on tax initiative

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb says now isn't the time to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike for affordable housing.   Webb says the measure, pushed by current Mayor Mike Johnston, will put a tax measure by Denver Health in jeopardy. "I'm not opposed to affordable housing, I'm opposed to the timing," Webb said. "I was surprised that Mayor Johnston, who has a lot of issues on his plate primarily around homelessness, did not delay it until the spring in order to get one of these issues passed." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Bidenomics: Housing costs hitting record highs, Harvard University report says
Fox Business, National

Bidenomics: Housing costs hitting record highs, Harvard University report says

By Kennedy Hayes  | Fox Business The high cost of housing is making it hard for many Americans to make ends meet, and monthly rents are rising faster than wages, according to a new housing report from Harvard University. The Joint Centers for Housing Studies of Harvard University report was released in June. The annual report says housing deals are hard to come by right now. Daniel McCue, the senior researcher on the Harvard University Housing Report, says home prices are steep right now and there is not enough supply. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
U.S. home prices just hit another all-time high, Redfin report shows
Fox Business, National

U.S. home prices just hit another all-time high, Redfin report shows

By Megan Henney | Fox Business The cost of buying a new house just hit another all-time high, according to new data.  Findings from Redfin show the median U.S. home sale price soared to $397,954 in June – a nearly 5% increase from a year earlier. That marks the highest level on record and the biggest annual increase since March. The monthly mortgage payment at that price, when accounting for the 6.86% median interest rate for a 30-year mortgage, is now $2,749. That is roughly $88 shy of April's record, thanks to a slight drop in mortgage rates. "High mortgage rates and record-setting home prices have made affordability the biggest challenge in the housing market in 2024," said Lisa Sturtevant, Bright MLS chief economist. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Durango’s hotel-to-housing project financing is a first in Colorado
The Colorado Sun, Western Slope

Durango’s hotel-to-housing project financing is a first in Colorado

By Mark Stevens | The Colorado Sun Giant plastic sheets seal off the hazard zones where asbestos abatement is in full swing. The swimming pool where travelers once lounged is buried under fresh fill. Kitchen appliances, new smoke detectors and media boxes for internet access are being added to each of the 72 rooms in the former roadside inn. Plumbers are fitting new sink drains. A new community room, laundry facility and fitness center are being readied off the main entry. Saws buzz, hammers pound, and a giant Volvo L60H loader kicks up dust as it makes runs to fill the foundation where a new general store will rise. Two new structures are going up behind this former Best Western motel a mile west of downtown Durango along Colorado 160. They will be home to 24 two-bedroom and 24 thre...