Willoughby Corner

We anticipate that there will be a mix of rental and for-sale homes affordable to families and individuals, elders, and members of our workforce as part of the community. While the final mix of homes will be determined through the planning and financing process, the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Boulder County and the City of Lafayette specifies that of the total amount of homes on the property, approximately 80% will be for rent and 20% will be for sale.

The IGA between the City of Lafayette and Boulder County specifies that all affordable units will remain affordable in perpetuity.

BCHA has a full property management and maintenance team responsible for the day-to-day operations of its housing. BCHA also provides maintenance services for its properties. Maintenance staff conducts regular inspections, attend to work orders, and are available for emergencies 24/7.

At Willoughby Corner, the rental apartments will be serviced by maintenance and operations. Repairs and maintenance of owner occupied homes will be the responsibility of the homeowner.

There are two types of “Section 8 housing.” The first is where federal funds are used to build and subsidize operations of an affordable housing building. The affordable housing community in East Lafayette will not be traditional federally subsidized housing.

The second type of Section 8 is also known as “Housing Choice Vouchers.” This is a HUD program that enables a household to pay 30% of their income on rent, and HUD provides a subsidy for the remainder. Housing Choice Vouchers can be used wherever there is a willing landlord and a unit that meets the HUD requirements (reasonable rent, and a Housing Quality Standards inspection). The new community of affordable housing will accept Housing Choice Vouchers.

Housing Choice Vouchers are a powerful tool to assist very-­low-income households and create income diversity in a neighborhood. However, the resource is extremely scarce: waitlist times are often 5-­10 years.

We anticipate that a small percentage of residents who will live in this affordable housing project may qualify for income-based federal housing assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher program. This housing does not depend upon HUD or the Housing Choice Voucher for funding.

The proposed housing will include a mix of building types. This may include duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and apartments. The final building types will be determined through the planning process with extensive opportunity for input from the community.

Architecture and design will be developed throughout our inclusive planning process.

Through a variety of community outreach events we will gain input on design elements and incorporate these into our site planning and building design. We also anticipate integrating community amenities such as a pocket park space, community gathering spaces, and trail connectivity.

At other BCHA properties we typically see around 1 car per household. As part of the traffic and transportation studies, BCHA will be conducting car counts at Aspinwall, Josephine Commons and Kestrel in order to provide exact data on comparable sites. This will be in addition to the traffic studies conducted as part of the site planning process.

The design, approval, and financing of affordable housing is a multi-step process that can be difficult to predict. Based on the current project status, the fastest that the project could proceed is outlined below:

• Site planning and City entitlements: 2018 – 2021
• Apply for affordable housing funding: 2021/2022
• Begin construction on the first phase of affordable homes: 2023
• Complete the first phase of affordable homes: 2024/2025

BCHA will work closely with City of Lafayette and the adjoining neighbors to create safe, low impact access to the site. The general contractor, once one is selected, will be required to create a detailed and specific construction access plan, and will ensure that all subcontractors and materials providers adhere to that plan. Other ways to minimize impacts include setting limits on work hours, setting specific limited construction access routes, putting restrictions on where employees and subcontractors can park, and having a water truck on site to minimize dust. A perimeter fence will also be constructed around the entire project site to isolate the dangers of an active constructive site from the general public. All of these approaches have been utilized on previous projects.

All efforts will be made to limit the impacts of construction, especially to neighbors along Flagg Drive and Emma Street.

Yes. The willingness and ability to recruit local subcontractors will be one of the selection criteria used to screen the general contractor.

Housing diversity contributes to economic activity associated with households spending their disposable income on items such as food, clothing, transportation, and health care. The degree to which these impacts remain in the local economy depends on the services and goods available within that particular region.

Community revitalization, expanding home ownership, and the effective delivery of health care and other services are all enhanced by public investment in stable affordable housing.

From the standpoint of a healthy lifestyle, when housing is made more affordable, then the income that is saved can be used to meet other basic needs; for example, the purchase of fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods.

Research has demonstrated that inclusion of more diverse and affordable housing for families and individuals, elders, and members of the workforce in communities increases spending and employment in the local economy, and reduces the risks of foreclosures and the instability in the economy when employers have difficulty attracting and retaining workers.

We anticipate that the neighborhood will be made up of a diverse mix of families, seniors, singles and couples without children. BCHA will work with Boulder Valley School District to ensure that adequate capacity is available to serve the projected number of students as part of the planning process.

A thorough traffic study will be completed as part of the site planning process. The study will take into account current traffic patterns, future growth in Lafayette, as well as traffic generated by the project.

This study will create a projection of the traffic generated by the proposed units, the capacity for the local roads to serve these trips, and the impacts to Level of Service (LOS) associated with the development. Any traffic improvements required by the proposed units, including signals, stop signs, acceleration/deceleration lanes, turn lanes, etc. would be included in the development costs and paid for by the developer and/or the City of Lafayette.

Traffic will be an integral part of our plan and future submittal. BCHA will work with the County, City of Lafayette and CDOT on traffic solutions to the intersection at 120^th and Emma. We are very aware of the safety concerns and will take this into consideration as we draw plans for the housing community.

Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) will manage the eligibility for the rental housing. Applicants will be required to provide income documentation, as well as pass both criminal and sex offender background checks.

The IGA between the City of Lafayette and BCHA calls for 80% of all homes built on the property to be deed-restricted for rents and purchase prices that are well-below-market rate for residents. Of these, 20% should be for-sale and 80% should be rental (Section 9a/b/c). The rental homes are stipulated to serve people earning at or below 60% of the Area Median Income. And at least 10% of the rental homes must be set aside for people age 55 and older.

We anticipate a blend of families, individuals, elders, and workforce members will live in this diverse mix of homes at Willoughby Corner.

Yes. For more information on Housing Choice Vouchers:

• Section8
• Subsidized Housing

2021 Income Limits, Boulder County, Colorado

These numbers are current as of 2021 and are updated annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes an annual income and rent table that BCHA will use to manage income eligibility. HUD uses Area Median Income (AMI) to determine maximum incomes, and calculates rent plus utilities to be no more than 30% of a household’s income.

The complete AMI charts for Colorado, including Boulder County, are available at:
https://www.chfainfo.com/arh/asset/Documents/2021-Rent-and-income-limits.pdf

2021 Maximum Rents for 30-60% AMI Households

Owner occupied for-sale homes will be income restricted to those making 80-120% AMI and below. Maximum mortgage amounts will be determined through the planning and financing process and are not available at the moment.

The Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) is the official housing authority for all areas of the county beyond the city limits of Longmont and Boulder, including Lafayette. BCHA was formed to serve the unmet housing needs of Boulder County residents in 1975. BCHA owns and manages 835 affordable homes across Boulder County, including 257 homes in Lafayette. BCHA is committed to owning and managing our properties in perpetuity.

In the intergovernmental agreement, it’s noted that “Lafayette believes that BCHA has demonstrated its capabilities in the development, operation, maintenance, and management of affordable housing in the municipalities of Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, and throughout unincorporated Boulder County,” and that “[Lafayette and BCHA] have worked together successfully for many years to create and preserve a diverse array of high-quality affordable housing options in Lafayette.”

BCHA has competed projects of similar over the past six years: Josephine Commons (senior housing) and Aspinwall (middle-­‐ and low-­‐income affordable rental housing) and Kestrel in Louisville (senior and affordable rental housing). These communities have many amenities including a commercial kitchen with a senior meals program, a common house with a community center and classroom space, communal green space, playgrounds, community gardens, and connections to open space and trails. These communities were completed on time and on budget.

Boulder County, Boulder County Housing Authority and the City of Lafayette jointly purchased the property in July 2017, with BCHA retaining title to the property.

An intergovernmental agreement is in place between the City of Lafayette and Boulder County dedicating the land for the creation of deed-restricted, permanently-below-market-rate homes, to include both rental and ownership options.

BCHA is committed to ensuring that the new community has exceptional trail access and connections to Lafayette. The site’s proximity to the future Inspire trail as well as the existing Burlington trail provides an excellent opportunity to enhance and support Lafayette’s trail system. Trail connectivity is a vital component of our planning process.

The new community will likely include community green space and amenities such as gardens. While the plans are not yet finalized, these have all been features included in our planned communities.

The East Lafayette Advisory Committee is a community group of citizens and others who are advising Boulder County Housing Authority staff in implementing an inclusive and effective community engagement plan and ensuring the creation of affordable homes at East Emma and 120^th streets is a true community enhancement. Advisory in nature, the ELAC meets regularly and provides honest constructive feedback to BCHA and their partners.

• Sign up here if you only want information updates about this new community in east Lafayette (and would not be interested in living in it).
• Attend our community meetings and updates
• Check in frequently on Nextdoor and any other social media accounts where we post updates.

You can always visit this website (www.lafayettehousing.org) and submit questions to msehlke@bouldercounty.org.