Conway makes his case for connected neighborhoods in District 1 race

By AJ Merriman
The Ramspondents 

Chris Conway says that Fort Collins can preserve its identity and its people only if it deals with housing directly and connects fast-growing communities to the city's main attractions. 

The District 1 candidate's campaign is based on three main goals: to develop houses faster, to grow in ways that keep families local, and to connect northeast Fort Collins to the wider network of parks, trails, and services.

Conway's perspective is based on where he is. He grew up in the northeast part of the city, left for 10 years, and then came back with new views. 

“Leaving for 10 years and coming back made me realize how special Fort Collins is,” he said. “The access to the Poudre River, what a gem Old Town is, and the sense of community.”

That difference also made him more aware of the injustices in the city. He says that the northeast is "a little bit tucked away," and that people there "don't always have the same access to city services and amenities." 

“Delivering those same amenities to our northeastern neighborhoods is really important to me, and that’s part of why I’m running,” he said.

Conway, who has been an English teacher for a long time and still teaches part time, said the affordability challenge is no longer just an idea. He sees it in the faculty lists and in his coworkers' new commutes. 

"In the last five or six years, I've noticed that new teachers can't afford to live in Fort Collins anymore," he said. "People who moved here in the past five years basically don't live in Fort Collins anymore." 

He said he considers development as "a fundamental change in the character of the community" and says the goal is to make the community "accessible for teachers, nurses, firefighters, and working people of all kinds."

That concept of putting people first shapes his policy proposal. He wants the city of Fort Collins and its people to stay connected.

“The ability to live close together with the people that you love is the most important thing about why we need to grow, and grow inward,” Conway said. 

He regularly uses real-life examples to make his argument. For example, Brianna, a coworker who grew up in Fort Collins and now teaches and coaches here, "had to buy in Greeley" and "drives 45 minutes both ways." He says that those long commutes hurt neighborhood relationships and make traffic and pollution worse.

Execution is the main focus of Conway's first day. He wants to get his plans and ideas into action as soon as possible, as it can take years for them to be official. 

 “The number one issue would be streamlining the permitting process to get housing built,” he said. “It can take two years to get through the process.” 

His second immediate push is an infrastructure sprint in the northeast. Being that he is from the northeast, he wants those people to enjoy the same amenities as the rest of Fort Collins. 

“Speed up the infrastructure plans to get northeast Fort Collins the parks, trails, and natural areas” people expect, he said. 

He added that District 1's growth is surpassing connections. There are many new housing developments occurring on the northeast side of Fort Collins. Conway sees the region as an opportunity to actually put his plans and ideas into action. 

“New neighborhoods do not have access to the same level of natural areas that the rest of the city does,” and “it’s been too slow to get infrastructure out there.”

Conway doesn't want to quarrel about what to create. “There’s a common misconception that you’re either going to build apartments or you’re going to build single-family homes,” he said.

 In truth, "by building apartment buildings, we free up homes for families and workers," while "single-family homes" help people move ahead in life. 

Simply put, Conway's pitch is a mix of biography and brass tacks. He is a native of northeast Fort Collins and a classroom teacher who wants to speed up permits, create a range of homes near existing transit and services, and make sure that fast-growing areas of Fort Collins have the same amenities, such as parks, trails, and safe streets. 

He connects climate and cost by saying that expansion that is easy to walk or cycle keeps families close while using less energy and driving. 

“It’s not really a choice; they both have a part to play,” he said of pairing apartments with single-family homes to ease pressure across the market.

Conway constantly brings up people over politics for voters who are thinking about the price of expansion. He adds that growth should "keep us connected to the people we care about," and that involvement should happen where citizens are. 

"Make permits easier to get, build a mix of homes, and make it easier to walk, bike, and take transit,” he said. "That's how we keep families here in Fort Collins."

AJ Merriman is a reporter for the Ramspondents.

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