Analysis: Affordable housing is at the center of this election: Here’s what candidates propose

By Chloe Waskey
The Ramspondents

A 2023 study by the Common Sense Institute of Colorado found that housing affordability in Fort Collins had decreased by a staggering 82.5% since 2015, marking a 20-year low for the city. This year, in an unsurprising continuation of the long-running shortage, a city survey found housing to be the city’s number one issue for nearly the second consecutive decade, with only one in 10 respondents positively rating the availability of affordable options. 

Efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing have been exceedingly slow. By 2024, the city reported only 25% progress toward its 2026 target in the Progress in Social Sustainability Department Strategic Plan. With this year's Nov. 4 regular election approaching, mayoral and city council candidates are tasked with presenting viable solutions as the housing crisis remains a chief concern for voters.

To synthesize all 16 plans put forth by the candidates, The Ramspondents divided the prevailing housing philosophies into four major approaches: Supply and zoning reform; public investment and tenant protections; homeownership access and market correction; and neighborhood protection and limited growth. As voters cast their ballots for the best solution, what do candidates propose—and what does research show? 

By far the most shared belief among Fort Collins candidates is that the city must build more—but build differently. The Common Sense Institute of Colorado found the 2022 housing deficit in Fort Collins to be between 3,818 and 7,521 units, signaling that demand far outpaces supply. 

Proposed changes to zoning law and land-use code would allow more low-cost construction of strategically placed housing, specifically “missing middle” housing like duplexes, townhomes and small apartment buildings. 

Ideal zoning would permit dense housing near transit stations, eliminate minimum parking requirements and remove barriers to building accessible dwelling units. ADUs, or small housing structures that landowners can build in single-family neighborhoods to rent out, has become an increasingly relevant solution in Fort Collins since the passage of HB 24-1152 in June. The bill allows construction of ADUs without lengthy zoning review or traditional regulation.  

Mayoral candidates Tricia Canonico, Adam Eggleston and Shirley Peel, as well as City Council District 1 candidate Chris Conway, all mentioned ADUs specifically on the campaign trail.

“We should focus on policies that expand the supply of affordable homes,” Conway said in an interview with the Coloradoan. “That means streamlining permits for starter homes, ADUs and ‘missing middle’ options like duplexes and townhomes…Focusing on infill near transit fights sprawl and keeps infrastructure costs down.” 

Mayoral candidate Emily Francis emphasized making the city’s internal development process more predictable to reduce delays and costs, while District 3 candidate Joshua Fudge and District 5 candidates Amy Hoeven and Zoelle Lane each called for density near transit corridors to keep infrastructure costs down.

Canonico said she would streamline approvals and launch pre-approved plans for ADUs while also exploring modular construction and flexible housing models like cottage courts. Eggleston similarly proposed expanding zoning for ADUs and townhomes while reducing fees that inflate home prices, including water tap costs, which he said can add $50,000 to $60,000 to the price of a unit.

“We need to be more proactive in identifying places where we could do some infill that makes sense,” Peel said. “And then our land-use code needs to be flexible and not one-size-fits-all.”

Case studies show that supply and zoning reform can expand production and lower price pressures over time. A report by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy found that allowing multifamily homes and ADUs in single-family zones increases the overall housing stock and diversifies options. Harvard’s State of the Nation’s Housing report similarly concluded that streamlined permitting and reduced parking mandates significantly cut development costs.

“The growing consensus among policy makers and economists is that adding different types of housing across a broad region will be beneficial in the long run,” the Lincoln report reads. 

Still, this plan is relatively new and may need time to be fully worked out. A study on ADUs by The Brookings Institution found that landowners tend to be wary of the additional process requirements that come with becoming a small-scale developer. Mandatory property inspections, annual income certification and uncertainty surrounding legal rights are all barriers to creating the necessary volume of ADUs. 

Some experts also caution that supply-side improvements alone may not benefit those immediately in need. According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Market Absorption, the national median rent for a unit built in late 2024 was $1,900 monthly; affordable only to those who make $76,000 annually. This means that absent financial support, new units would only be affordable to those with high income.

To prevent residents from being priced out of the market, these candidates propose direct fiscal and legislative measures to stabilize rent and safeguard against displacement. A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that government supplied rent assistance programs provide immediate relief, promote equity and give families more autonomy in their housing situation. 

But in 2020, the Regional Economic Development Institute found that 52% of renters in Fort Collins could not afford fair-market rent; a share estimated to have risen to 60% by 2022. Nationally, federal rental assistance reaches only one in four eligible households, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Public investment and tenant protections primarily target those most in need, though candidates diverge sharply on what gets funded (renter assistance vs. capital development) and how to pay for it (local taxes vs. outside revenue).

While most pair public investment with increased housing supply, City Council District 1 candidate Susan Gutowsky has a unique stance given her abject opposition to dense housing. 

“Throwing up an ‘abundance’ of dense unattainable housing in a city that has grown less than 1% over the last three years is reckless,” Gutowsky said in an interview with the Coloradoan. “Focus, instead, on the acute needs of our most vulnerable residents.”

Gutowsky backs the Proposition 123 Equity Program, a statewide initiative that uses tax revenue to support affordable housing construction, preservation and a tenant equity fund designed to help renters build wealth. It also provides emergency rent aid and financing options for developers. 

Lance Smith of District 3 similarly proposes using property-tax generated revenue for a city rent assistance fund and the development of land-back properties — blighted lots purchased by the city to support affordable housing.

“If we build more houses, then we will have more houses to collect property taxes,” Smith said. “We don't necessarily need to just raise taxes. We need to help the economy thrive and try to solve our housing problem.”

Canonico and Francis both support financing new affordable units, though only Francis specified that the dollars would come from direct public investment and partnerships with nonprofit developers. Conway said he supports emergency rental aid and legal resources for tenants but did not outline a funding mechanism.

Lane likewise wants the government to prioritize tenant needs, but rather than establishing a fund, she suggested pursuing legislation that would implement a rent cap, mandate affordable rent and outlaw price gouging. 

“I want to advocate and work with our state representatives…to try to put forward a rent cap,” Lane said. “Then we can take a step back and go, ‘OK, not only can you not raise rents like this, but this is what you have to be charging people.’ (And that is) as well as a 10% affordable housing goal for the city, which I still think is low.” 

Public investment and tenant protections, however, face limits of their own. These programs rely on consistent political support and long-term public revenue, both of which fluctuate with election cycles. Without sustained funding, some low-income renters could end up exposed if priorities shift at City Hall.

For many Fort Collins residents, the affordable housing crisis is less about rent and more about the narrowing path to homeownership. As housing and mortgage costs rise, wages lag and the burden of owning a home in Fort Collins has become more pronounced. 

According to the Fort Collins Housing Availability Report, the number of hours of work required to cover the median mortgage payment increased 73% between 2015 and 2023. High housing costs can affect the long-term quality of workforce recruitment as well as the affordability of housing for key public sector positions such as teachers, police and fire personnel.

Candidates who campaigned on the homeownership access and market correction approach are  looking to help remove burdens for first-time buyers by diversifying development, funding assistance programs and squeezing out corporate investors that artificially raise the cost of housing. 

Eggleston, for example, proposed limiting speculative investment for out of state firms attempting to buy starter homes; a position that Lane also campaigned on. Eggleston has centered his platform on reigniting condo construction and noted legal barriers as a significant challenge for developers looking to build entry-level housing. 

“We can’t close the ownership gap if the only thing we’re building is rental apartments,” Eggleston said on his website.  “It is time to make it legally viable to construct homes that people can actually afford to buy.”

Smith takes a more direct approach, opting to provide assistance to home buyers. Similar to his public funding policy for tenants, Smith suggested creating a government-funded program for down payment assistance and other homeownership costs. He also suggested helping buyers who do not qualify for typical housing loans by creating a revolving loan fund, or a government established fund that gives favorable rates to borrowers and invests payments back into itself. 

Montgormery proposed an equally unique solution, positing that tax-subsidised employers who do not provide adequate wages should donate land to the city for affordable housing development. She also wants to use tax revenue from the Community Capital Improvement Program to build more middle-income housing. 

Research shows that improving homeownership access helps mobility between renting and ownership for middle-class residents, eventually freeing up more rental units. However, this approach by itself takes a long time to only marginally increase housing supply, and does nothing for low-income renters with immediate need. 

A clear minority faction of candidates emerges on the issue of whether Fort Collins should risk infrastructure and community character for the sake of affordable housing. These candidates largely oppose dense housing models and warn that further population growth could decrease property value and overwhelm the city. 

District 3 candidate Steve Yurash aligns heavily with the Preserve Fort Collins movement, a prominent local group that staunchly opposes construction of low-income housing models, especially by private developers. 

Yurash pointed out that national factors like interest rates and material costs significantly impact housing prices, making local interventions feckless. He argued that encouraging a population increase could strain infrastructure like water resources, traffic and healthcare capacity.

“I don't want to add a lot of high density housing in a misguided attempt to satisfy the demand that's out there to bring the prices down,” Yurash said. “I think that's foolish. I don't believe that we have enough water to add a lot of residents. I don't think our road infrastructure and traffic will do well with adding more residents. And we also don't even have enough health care professionals to add residents.” 

Mayoral candidate Jeffrey Shumway agrees that the rising cost of housing is due to external factors that cannot be addressed on a local level—namely inflation. Rather than attempt to mitigate these costs, he wants to prioritize the quality of life to increase property values and reduce tax burdens by limiting government programs. 

“People's wages are not going up fast enough to catch up with the housing crisis, so as (someone who is) fiscally conservative minded, I want to make sure as a government we're not doing anything at all that's adding to people's power, light (or) water bills whatsoever,” Shumway said. “I feel like a lot of the other candidates have these great grandiose ideas, but I don't believe in the short term, or in the next few years, it's going to do anything at all to lower your rent, or mine, or affect anyone.” 

Scott “Scotty V” VanTatenhove has a much more ambiguous stance, but ultimately wants to address community concern. He has positioned himself in the middle of the argument, condemning “rubber stamping” development as well as freezing development. 

“We do need more housing supply, and we also need to protect neighborhood character and quality of life,” VanTatenhove said in an interview with the Coloradoan. “Pretending it’s one or the other is dishonest. My approach is to treat housing as the complex puzzle it is: Listen to evidence, bring all voices to the table and balance competing priorities transparently.”

Evidence for the claims made by candidates in the neighborhood protection and limited growth camp, however, is mixed. For one, research consistently shows that limiting the supply of housing does not decrease demand. Instead, this method exacerbates both short- and long-term housing costs. 

A 2023 study on “supply skepticism” found that new property developments typically reduce nearby rent and do not often heighten displacement or gentrification; even sometimes providing middle and high income families access to further upward mobility. 

But community members are still undoubtedly concerned about the implications of integrating a new dense housing model in a city zoned for single-family use. Lack of water and lack of healthcare are looming fears for residents that could very well be worsened by an increase in population. 

Mercer’s US Workforce Strategy and Analytics Practice predicted a 20% shortage of healthcare workers in Fort Collins by 2028, and according to city utility statistics, the city has so far used as much as 93% of its yearly projected demand. 

To quell some of these fears, the city has already taken measures to address water availability by implementing a complex usage plan, but unpredictable growth could still present complications. The shortage of healthcare workers is an issue that has not yet been solved.

As for property values, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning commission conducted a literature review and found that, by and large, multifamily housing had no net-negative impact on nearby property value across states. Indeed, property values sometimes increased while tax revenue almost always rose exponentially. 

Fort Collins candidates have provided voters with an expansive variety of housing solutions to hopefully address the affordable housing crisis, leaving residents with the task of choosing what path to take next. As many candidates pointed out, there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to such a complex and deep rooted issue. Instead, research almost unanimously suggests that the next city leaders must take a multi-faceted and balanced approach to maintaining the livelihood and wellbeing of residents. 

Chloe Waskey is a senior majoring in Journalism and Media Communication with a minor in political science