ARPA Newsletter 008  |   September 2023  |  Boco.org/ARPA

IN THIS ISSUE

Did You Know?
Willoughby Corner Affordable Housing Project in Lafayette Moves Forward

Housing Affordability 
Longmont and Lafayette Residents Participate in Mobile Home Park Survey and Resource Fairs

American Rescue Plan Act

Boulder County Released the 2023 Annual ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report

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For previously published newsletters, go to boco.org/ARPA or click on this Newsroom link.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments are making an impact in our Boulder County communities by providing resources to people who were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.In this newsletter, we share examples of the ARPA-supported work that is underway. We invite you to visit https://www.boco.org/ARPA
for additional information.

Boulder County’s ARPA newsletter is now published bimonthly. You will now receive the ARPA publication every two months, which will still include articles, news, and stories to keep you informed about the investment of federal ARPA funds in our communities. 

Did you know?

Willoughby Corner Affordable Housing Project in Lafayette Moves Forward

The construction of Willoughby Corner has brought a lot of excitement and expectation for Lafayette neighbors and the Boulder County community. After the groundbreaking ceremony for Willoughby Corner, in mid-July the community was invited to an open house to hear more about this significant new project for affordable housing in Lafayette. At least 175 individuals attended the event at the Peak-to-Peak Charter School.

Willoughby Corner is a planned neighborhood of permanently affordable homes located just southwest of the intersection of 120th Street and East Emma Street in Lafayette. The project is being developed by the Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) and will consist of 400 homes in a variety of building types, including duplexes, townhomes, and apartments. Construction crews are already working on the project, and applications for the first rentals could be released as early as spring 2024, with move-ins possible by late summer 2024.

Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin noted the crucial role housing plays in creating an equitable community for residents. “The last 24 years of my life have been dedicated to housing, especially affordable housing and housing access for Spanish speaking families, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipients and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN, users throughout Boulder County and the region, so for me this is a personal project, and will be one of my greatest achievements while serving as an elected official,” Loachamin said. “While discussions around housing and land use are complicated, in Boulder County we believe that race is the largest indicator of outcomes for residents, and with Willoughby Corner, we are doing what we should, which is responding to the community members who have asked us for help in a housing crisis.”

In the open house the community learned details about the project including when the properties will be available, and how to qualify for them. The new affordable rental and for-sale homes are being built in a sustainable, recreation-and-transit-centered neighborhood. Boulder County Commissioner Claire Levy emphasized that Willoughby Corner will be the largest net zero-ready community of affordable homes in Colorado, and possibly the country. “We’re going to have 400 homes that will have zero emissions,” Levy said. “We’re demonstrating that affordable housing can be an affordable, sustainable and a wonderful place to live, with ultra-high energy efficiency and design, and with the use of geothermal and solar technology. This will be a beautiful, sustainable community where people will say, ‘hey, we want that in our community too’.”

The homes at Willoughby Corner will be available to households earning 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). This means that a family of four earning $67,000 per year would be eligible to live in one of the homes. The monthly rent for a one-bedroom home at Willoughby Corner will range from $747 to $1,494, depending on income. Utilities are included in these amounts. In addition to the affordable homes, Willoughby Corner will also include a variety of amenities, such as:

• A community building with a fitness center, meeting rooms, and a library
• A dog park
• Community gardens
• Trails
• Free EcoPass

Utilities are included in the rent, and low security deposit. Construction is now underway on Willoughby Corner, with the first phase – affordable rental apartment homes for adults 55-and-over – scheduled to be complete and begin leasing in summer 2024. To find out more, sign up for updates at www.WilloughbyCorner.org.

Longmont and Lafayette Residents Participate in Mobile Home Park Survey and Community Resource Fairs

Residents of mobile home parks in Longmont and Lafayette participated this summer in a community survey conducted by Boulder County and community partners to learn about the needs of each neighborhood and to understand how to maximize American Rescue Plan Act funds' investments for on-site improvements and home repairs. With the residents' feedback, the county is looking to create a program to address communities' priorities, improve the living conditions of the properties, and provide home repair assistance for low-income residents.

As part of the Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades Program (MHP), Boulder County created a partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder’s Affordable Housing Research Initiative to survey residents with the support of El Centro AMISTAD, the City of Lafayette, Together Colorado, the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), the City of Longmont, and Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (HHS).

"We are very appreciative for the hard work our partners did to get residents responses. During more than two months, we collected responses door-to-door to learn about the issues important to these neighborhoods and get first-hand insights on the kind of maintenance the residences need, the transportation issues they may have, the cost of utilities, the condition of mobile home park amenities, etc.," said Francisco Padilla, HHS MHP Project Manager. We want to understand the changes residents want to see in their communities, 

their safety concerns, and other issues that may arise, so we can find the right approach to make these neighborhoods a better place to live, work, and play. "ARPA funding will also provide support for those communities interested in becoming a resident-owned community (ROC) with technical and financial resources, assistance to residents organizing the community, creating the ownership structure, and property management.

The Manufactured Housing Park Acquisitions and Upgrades goal is to create a reserve fund to supply grants or zero-interest forgivable loans to provide partial support for:

• Acquisition of manufactured housing parks by residents
• Infrastructure improvements
• Home repair assistance

Two local resource fairs were held in the cities of Longmont and Lafayette to support survey participation and provide helpful resources to residents from different local service partners. The Department of Geography at CU will provide an analysis of the results planned to be shared with residents by the fall of 2023.The results of the survey will serve as the starting point for strategic planning sessions to define the investment priorities for each park. Informed by survey participation of mobile home park residents, Boulder County will develop an investment strategy that supports resident ownership, home repairs, and water and sewer repairs.

Boulder County Released the 2023 Annual ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report

Boulder County has released the annual report for the 2023 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), describing how the county will spend the $63,359,749 in ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to assist residents and businesses in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ARPA SLFRF provides immediate and targeted support to state and local governments for COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

Since receiving this federal funding, Boulder County has accomplished several significant milestones, including the completion of some of the projects identified to meet immediate needs while the pandemic was still in full effect, as well as the allocation of all remaining ARPA funds to Boulder County's Phase 2 transformational projects detailed in the 2023 ARPA SLFRF report. The report is currently available on the ARPA website. You can click on the following link Recovery Plan Performance Report 2023 to read details of the investments.

“The American Rescue Plan Act was a lifeline for Boulder County during the pandemic,” said Commissioner Marta Loachamin. “This funding has helped us to support projects that will build affordable housing opportunities, keep people in their homes, support families, and keep our community moving forward. We have made significant progress in several areas, including education and the COVID learning loss, tax relief for small businesses, and public health services. I am grateful to the hard work and dedication of our community and all of our county partners for making these accomplishments possible."

“Boulder County has made great progress in advancing racial equity by centering race with projects that keep communities advancing toward equitable economic stabilization,” said Commissioner Claire Levy. “The funds outlined in this report are providing a path to strengthen social and financial infrastructure and provide access to much needed services for communities that have been historically underserved. With this report, the community can follow Boulder County’s decision process and community participation to see how we have ensured equitable and meaningful distribution of the ARPA funds.”

The report describes ARPA fund investments to support programs that address those challenges identified by the Boulder County community, including:

• Housing Affordability: Affordable Housing Pipeline projects are planned to create or preserve more than 400 affordable housing units. Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades is assisting in home ownership and housing repairs for residents in mobile home parks.
• Economic Challenges: The county will provide grants to nonprofits and childcare providers for meaningful investments. The Direct Cash Assistance program, which will support low-income families with young children, is like universal basic income and has been shown to help create longer-term economic stability for families in need.
• Mental Health and Social Resilience: In collaboration with school partners and mental health-related community-based organizations, funds are being used to expand services and provide these services for free.
• Public Health: The county has used funding to support vaccination and testing efforts, as well as significant investments to provide mental health services.

The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) made their decisions on how to invest ARPA funds based on extensive community input. In 2021, a county-wide survey helped identify the top challenges Boulder County residents were facing during the pandemic. The top concerns were Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience. Then, in spring 2022, the county held working group meetings with residents and community partners to develop proposals to address each of these areas of concern.