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40 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / September 2019 ELEMENTS Affordable housing Affordable Housing: Welcome Home for All T he issue of affordable housing continues to gain momentum throughout Colorado and the rest of the U.S. and is top of mind for cities, municipalities and the private sector. Mountain communities have placed af- fordable housing at the forefront of their planning for decades, with the need for both seasonal and year-round workforce housing a continuing pres- sure point. Suburban areas near major municipalities are experiencing this same demand, even as residential building booms throughout the state. Affordable housing is one of the touchstones of a thriving community. It completes the spectrum of housing choices for every income level, supports employee retention and contributes to an inclusive, healthy, respectful social structure. Planning and designing for affordable housing require some unique components to put these communities on a path for success. • Begin and end with communication. Understanding the politics of surrounding neighborhoods and com- munities where affordable housing is proposed is criti- cal in designing a strategy for their approval. Extensive outreach, listening and communicating with neigh- bors and stakeholders, and demonstrating why afford- able housing is a crucial part of a healthy community fabric are all essential. With the current emphasis on the need for this particular piece of the housing spec- trum, city and municipal planning staffs are commit- ted to moving the process forward to deliver this type of housing for local workforces. There is a high level of collaboration to get communities approved, designed and implemented. Understanding the process as a whole encompasses due diligence, design, finance, en- titlements and outreach. All of this is framed by the overall goal – creating a neighborhood that improves the community as a whole. To this end, the public sector can benefit from lever- aging the implementation knowledge of the private sectorwhendeveloping or updatingpolices for creating affordable housing. For affordable housing to become a reality, expectations must be realistic and collaboration is key. The private sector can provide input about the feasibility of housing types, income restrictions, subsi- dies and implementation tools. Public entities can lay a foundation by supporting inclusiveness, diversity and the importance of housing the local workforce. • Design evolution. Affordable housing has evolved over time to address the value and importance peo- ple place on outdoor spaces and how they connect to indoor spaces. Great shared spaces that can be en- joyed year-round foster a strong sense of community and support multi-generational connections. Places where people can garden together, cook, share meals and watch their kids play have become priorities in af- fordable housing design. Attention to these spaces also helps to weave the new neighborhood into the fabric of existing neighborhoods, further strengthening the all-important sense of inclusiveness. During the master plan process, a number of decid- ing factors are considered. Will the housing be available for purchase, lease or a mix of the two? This impacts both financing and implementation. Who will own the housing? Land is often a subsidy, depending on the owner (such as the government or a nonprofit entity) for a project to become reality. Location and infrastruc- ture? These must be maximized to fit the natural en- vironment and topography, take advantage of transit access, and create a strong sense of place. Master plan- ning typically occurs on a larger scale, although imple- mentation may take place in smaller pieces to phase in infrastructure, provide a specific number of units to market, or synch to timing of specific financing mech- anisms. Responsible, thoughtful political influence is key during master planning, building community sup- port through outreach and input so the surrounding community feels a part of the planning process. • Mountains vs. city. In mountain communities, a sense of urgency for affordable housing is tied directly to the basic economics of supply and demand. With a significant amount of publicly owned land that is not available for development, privately owned land be- comes evenmore expensive, with land and homes that are highly sought after. This naturally competitive and expensive market means that employees are often lo- cated far away from jobs, putting more stress on trans- portation systems, parking supply and guest experi- ence. A new opportunity for mountain communities is provided by the recent USDA Federal Farm Bill, which Wendi Birchler, PLA, LEED AP Principal, Norris Design Elena Scott, LEED AP Principal, Norris Design Mariposa Phase IV’s multi-unit buildings were designed to provide efficient density, with unique architectural character, integrated with planned open spaces. Permeable landscape detention areas are incorporated beneath pedes- trian bridges that access units.