Affordable housing is a topic of great concern in Longmont. LAUNCH Longmont, a grassroots coalition promoting environmental sustainability and advocating for more affordable and attainable housing, is hosting Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Town on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Heart of Longmont Church, 350 11th Ave.
Marohn will discuss his newly released book “Escaping the Housing Trap,” which covers the tension between housing as a financial product and housing as a shelter. He will also talk about solutions that could resolve the housing crisis.
Marhon advocates for positive and sustainable change at a small level, typically targeting neighborhoods or cities.
“He believes cities should change the way that housing is built to decouple local housing prices from national financial markets. This means fewer big developments, fewer apartment blocks, and a greater focus on making incremental change possible,” stated Shakeel Dalal, co-founder of LAUNCH Longmont.
An example of this is the Wesley Townhomes. These homes came about because of a vote from the Heart of Longmont Church congregation. The church voted to utilize some of its land to build approximately 11 two-story units at the north end of its parking lot. The church partnered with The Inn Between to create the long-term rental units that “will serve as a stepping stone to homeownership as families become more financially stable,” according to the church’s website.
The Wesley Townhome units will provide housing options to individuals and families below 40% of the median income level for Boulder County which is roughly $96,079.
According to Dalal, Marhon’s approach to taking back control over housing costs would deescalate affordable housing conflicts such as those centered around Bohn Farm or Kanemoto Estates by making each project smaller.
The Bohn Farm project is a 5.89-acre property at 1313 Spruce Ave. The neighbors became concerned after a concept plan was submitted to the city of Longmont, fearing the project would be too dense for the area. The project proposed, in 2023, 70 three-story townhomes which would raise the density of the area from 4.2 units per acre to 11.9 units.
“Rather than one developer building 63 homes in Bohn Farm all at once, you would have 63 home builders building 63 homes over time,” Dalal suggested.
Kanemoto Estates sits roughly half a mile north of the Co 119 and Airport Road intersection. Over a year ago, Boulder County terminated the conservation easement on the property which opened it up for annexation into Longmont. A developer has proposed to build a mixed residential community on the 40-acre parcel which is proposed to include single-family and paired homes, four-plexes and flats and other community amenities. The number of housing units on the property could range between 300-426.
Marohn’s talk will include direct applications of new planning concepts and highlight topics such as how tension between housing as an investment and housing as a shelter impacts where and how people live, how regulations are designed to facilitate rapid growth of cities but stagnates neighborhoods and housing shortages, and where cities can intervene to make the housing market more responsive.
The event is open to the public and tickets are $5. The proceeds will support the Wesley Townhomes. Following the talk will be a tabling event for local and regional nonprofits to offer information and opportunities to get involved. The following week the group will host a workshop for developers and government officials.
