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.”…