Town of Erie Housing Needs Assessment

The greater Denver-Boulder region has been an expensive housing market for some time. This is especially true in Boulder and Boulder County. The Town of Erie, which has some of the newest housing stocks in the region and an unusually low proportion of rental units has recognized that each community in the region has a role to play in increasing the regional supply of affordable housing.

The Town recognizes the importance of establishing a diversity of housing types within the community and to ensure that housing is available to a variety of income levels. While some more affordable housing options have been constructed, low and moderately priced housing options continue to make up a small portion of Erie's housing stock—a widely acknowledged issue.

The Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership, which Erie joined in 2020, set a 2035 goal to establish 12% of the region’s housing inventory as permanently affordable. In 2021, the Erie Board of Trustees adopted Resolution 21-140 to ensure that 12% of the Town’s housing stock would be affordable by 2035. Ambitious goals require significant attention toward future affordability.

In 2022, the Town retained consulting firm czb to assist with an Affordable Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy. The process and resulting report will provide Erie with the information and analysis needed to more firmly establish affordable housing goals and begin taking action.

Analysis will continue through the end of summer 2022. Preliminary findings will be shared with the Town Board of Trustees and at a public open house in September. During the fall, work will continue on strategic options that the Town may consider adopting in the future to support affordable housing production.

Sept. 22 Open House

The Affordable Housing Division hosted an Open House on Thursday, Sept. 22. Residents were able to learn more about the future of workforce and affordable housing in the Town of Erie. Staff and consultants created infographics to lead discussions and get the residents opinions on what the Town is in need of. Overwhelmingly, residents were most concerned about:

1. Creating a more inclusive community, and
2. Lack of housing diversity (majority of homes are single family homes, needing townhomes, duplexes etc.)

It’s something that we noticed as well and are working on! During the open house, residents had the opportunity to see what potential tools staff may use to resolve the Town’s housing challenges and how they might work. Thanks to all who joined and gave insight, stay tuned for the next open house in November. Review the information presented in the Open House by clicking the images to the right.