FORT COLLINS, Colo. — From bumper-to-bumper traffic on Harmony Road to sky-high housing prices, Fort Collins residents didn't hold back at Denver7’s Your Voice event last Friday.
And Denver7 was listening. We took your concerns straight to the decision-makers and we’re getting answers about what's being done, and what still needs a bigger push.
Priced out in paradise
Let’s start with housing — more specifically, rent costs. From 2010 to 2020, rents rose in the Fort Collins area by about 125%, while incomes only rose about 20-25% during that same time, according to data from the City of Fort Collins.
As for buyers, while housing prices have come down in recent months, it’s those interest rates hovering at around 6-7% that experts like Brian Grauberger, a broker associate partner with The Group, Inc., say are a huge deterrent, especially for first-time buyers.
“Those rates have to come down,” Grauberger said. “They are too high and they’re keeping a lot of potential buyers on the sidelines.”
“It’s challenging to find housing, period,” said Fort Collins resident Garrett Colton. “Much less affordable housing.”
That concern is shared by so many in Fort Collins.
“I had a customer, an engineer, made a great living – purchased for $775K, put 20% down, there’s no HOA on this property and his payment is $5,000 a month,” Grauberger said. “That is the struggle for the young buyer.”
Grauberger said the best solution is that interest rates must come down.
“I think we have to see interest rates come down,” he said. “I would love to see them in the fives again. I don’t think we’ll ever see them in the threes again. But young people need something to get into the marketplace.
Denver7 presses on shelter gaps
On a related note, we also sat down with many in the homeless community in Fort Collins, like Amy Smith and her dog, Smoky.
“The rent is too high,” Smith said. “That’s why there’s so many homeless here. A lot of the women — they can get into shelters, but if you have animals — they have to make an exception.”
Smith said one of the biggest barriers is the lack of attainable housing for those like her living below the poverty line. And she says in terms of shelter space they’re not always accommodating to those with pets. So, we took her concerns directly to Outreach Fort Collins.
“What do you say to that? Is there shelter space available to people with pets?” asked Denver7’s Russell Haythorn.
“Animals oftentimes are a barrier to accessing services,” said Andy Sprain, deputy director of Outreach Fort Collins. “Maybe there’s someone who can watch your animal for a little bit so you can attend to what you need for today. Working together to help them navigate those needs.”
Sprain said his team is constantly working to get people like Smith housed.
“Getting people into long-term stable spaces is one of our main goals,” Sprain said.
Harmony Road: A symphony of brake lights
Many of you in Fort Collins also brought up traffic issues, especially along Harmony Road. So, we took those concerns directly to the city.
“Speak to the person who says, 'I’m so frustrated traveling on Harmony,'” Haythorn asked James Reed, interim traffic director with the city.
“We are definitely listening,” Reed said. “What you see behind me is our TOC, so our traffic operations center.”
Reed says Harmony Road moves 50,000 vehicles per day. By comparison, the second-busiest street, College Avenue, only sees about 30,000 a day.
So, as a solution to Harmony Road congestion, the city is utilizing an innovative and sophisticated algorithm-based system that uses cameras to change traffic flows constantly.
“Which basically takes a vehicle at the beginning of the intersection, tracks that pace-setting vehicle and all the vehicles in its herd, and makes sure they all get through the next light,” Reed said. “And then notifies our next signal — ‘There’s a vehicle, the herd is moving your way, let’s try to continue this ongoing movement through the corridor.’”
Reed said his team is focused on alleviating the choke points.
“We want to get you in and out of town and around town as smoothly as possible,” he said.
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
