CDBG Office
Civic Center Complex
350 Kimbark St.
Longmont, CO 80501
(303) 651-8736 (phone)
(303) 651-8590 (fax)
Building Partnerships is a quarterly newsletter provided by the Longmont CDBG/Affordable Housing Division.
Print Friendly Version (Adobe pdf 1.4 mb)
In this issue: Affordable Senior Housing Development - Taking Names
2009 National Community Development Week
The City of Longmont Affordable Homeownership Program is partnering with Habitat for Humanity, Thistle Community Housing, and our media partner, the Longmont Times-Call to hold the first ever Tour of Affordable Homes. The affordable home tour will provide the public an opportunity to learn about affordable homeownership and view affordable homes in Longmont.
The idea for the Tour came about from the different affordable homeownership organizations working together to increase awareness about their programs & their products. These organizations joined forces with the Times-Call, which has sponsored a New Home Tour for the past four years. The combination of the affordable homeownership organizations and the Times-Call is a natural fit and will help ensure that the word gets out about the Tour to the Longmont Community.
The Tour will be held on May 16 and 17th, 2009. For more information, contact Molly McElroy at the City of Longmont at 303-651-8530 or molly.mcelroy@ci.longmont.co.us.
Any project funded in whole or in part with a CDBG/HOME grant is subject to 
environmental review requirements that address compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. These reviews must be completed before any funds are committed. The City of Longmont will complete these reviews for all projects. Here are ten key points to remember about the environmental review required for CDBG/HOME projects:
The environmental review must cover the entire project, even project components funded by non-CDBG or non-HOME sources.
2. The CDBG/HOME grant recipient must not commit or expend any funds–not even non-CDBG/HOME funds–on any aspect of the project before completion of the appropriate environmental review for that activity.
Once the City of Longmont has compiled the environmental review record, the public must be given the opportunity to comment prior to certification by the City , i.e., before the record is deemed final.
4. After compiling the environmental review record, the City will formally request that HUD release the CDBG/HOME funds for project use. This is called a Request for Release of Funds.
5. HUD cannot approve a Request for Release of Funds prior to receiving a complete environmental review record and ensuring that the City has provided appropriate public notice.
6. The level of environmental review conducted (e.g., exemption, categorical exclusion, environmental assessment) must be justified and documented.
7. If a project changes after completion of the environmental review process, then the City must assess whether the changes alter the potential environmental impact of the project. Depending on the scope and nature of the project changes, additional environmental review may be required.
For additional information contact
Tracy DeFrancesco at
303-774-4445, or tracy.defrancesco@ci.longmont.co.us.
Housing Program Accomplishments |
Number of Housholds/Units Assisted in 2008 |
2008 CDBG/HOME or Affordable Housing Funds |
| Down Payment Assistance | 14 Home Buyers | $140,000 |
| OUR Center Rental Deposit | 7 Households | $8,225 |
| Individual Development Savings Accounts | 7 Households | $10,000 |
| Housing Counseling Program | 517 | $20,000 |
| The Cannery Apartments | 94 Households | $130,000 - HOME funds |
| Digital Divide Program | Provided 44 home computers and 71 wireless accounts with CPU units | $10,000 |
| Casa de la Esperanza Computer Lab | Provided 6 laptops to support the Casa Robotics team | $10,000 |
| Safe Shelter of Saint Vrain Valley | Constructed a playground | $15,000 |
| Longmont Christian Housing | Provided funds to upgrade toilets and alarm system | $69,340 |
Rehab Program Accomplishments |
Number of Housholds/Units Assisted in 2008 |
2008 CDBG/HOME or Affordable Housing Funds |
| General Rehab | 2 Households | $50,000 |
| Emergency Repair | 22 Households | $20,000 |
| Paint-A-Thon | 4 Households | $10,000 |
| Architectural Barrier Removal | 4 Households | $15,000 |
| Rental Rehab | 26 Apartments | $105,321 |
| English Village Reroof | 32 Apartments | $45,000 |
Neighborhood Revitalization Projects |
Number of Housholds/Units Assisted in 2008 |
2008 CDBG/HOME or Affordable Housing Funds |
| Countryside Village | Neighborhood Cleanup | $2,517 |
| Lanyon Park Neighborhood | Neighborhood Cleanup | $3,709 |
The Cannery is an affordable housing complex consisting of three buildings with a total of 94 rental apartments. The “Warehouse Building” is a National Historic Landmark built in 1905. The Warehouse is a former cannery that was converted to multi-family housing in 1984. It is built of post and beam construction with a brick exterior. The Cannery West buildings were both built in 1984/85 with brick exteriors matching the Warehouse.
The 94 unit apartment site was purchased using HOME/CDBG/Affordable Housing funds by Thistle Community Housing for the purpose of providing affordable housing for households in Boulder County. In return for such funds Thistle will hold 100% of the apartments for households earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The site consists of 4 studio apartments, 55 one-bedroom units, 34 two-bedroom units and 1 three-bedroom. Amenities include: heated
swimming pool, children’s playground, 24-hour laundry facility, off street parking, horseshoe pit and covered bicycle rack.. The recreation room has cable television, comfy seating, fireplace, newly remodeled kitchen, pool and ping pong tables, playroom, exercise room, and men’s and women’s bathrooms.
For more information please contact Thistle Community Housing 303-443-0007
The Longmont Housing Development Corporation is pleased to sponsor THE LODGE AT HOVER CROSSING which is scheduled to open in July 2009. The 50 one-bedroom apartments are age & income restricted for senior households whose income is below 50% of the Area Median Income. Rent will be based on 30% of the households adjusted gross income.
To place your name on the interest list please contact the Longmont Housing Authority at 303-651-8581 Ext 21. You will need to provide your name, address & phone number. Applications will then be provided to those interested in April 2009 , with units leasing in August.
Please join the City of Longmont in celebrating the 2009 National Community Development Week on April 12-18, 2009. The City of Longmont is a recipient of federa
l Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds totaling about $530,000 annually. The purpose of this week long celebration is to recognize the positive outcomes from the CDBG funding in Longmont. Our goal is to encourage residents who benefit from the CDBG programs to communicate with their congressional representatives and their locally elected officials about the impact this program has had on their lives. The funds have made a real impact in Longmont and we want to make sure the community knows that much of the great work that the City and our non-profit partners do wouldn’t be possible without CDBG Funds. We will showcase a series of projects focusing on home ownership, housing rehab, foreclosure prevention and low income housing developments.
The City’s CDBG/Affordable Housing Division works every day to help revitalize low and moderate income neighborhoods and is pleased to be able to celebrate the many programs and partnerships that promote sustainable residential and commercial growth in our city. The result is not only new investment but also a new vitality in Longmont.
The City of Longmont uses leveraged funds from city and federal grants to offer a broad array of services either directly or in partnership with other organizations.
Some of those programs, projects or services include:
The Boulder County Down Payment Assistance Program provides low-income first-time homebuyers families with low-interest or deferred loans to purchase homes . For more information visit: http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/cdbg/housing/dpa.htm or call Molly at 303-651-8530
Village Place Rehab Project located on the 600 block of Main Street in Longmont has 72 apartments for seniors 62 years of age and older. CDBG funds were used to help the Longmont Housing Authority purchase the complex converting it from market-rate housing to affordable. Then a $1 million renovation was completed in 2007. The scope of the renovations included replacement and upgrades to major building systems such as boilers, roof, lobby area, exterior siding, and appliances. Energy efficiency improvements were a significant component of the renovations including solar panels.
The Housing First Pilot Program housed 25 families over 24 months. All received supportive services on a 24/7 basis and the city will issue another 10 vouchers under the program in 2009. Selected families are housed and work with Case Managers from five different agencies to develop a Family Improvement Plan. In addition, the Longmont Housing Authority has master leased10 studio units at the Briarwood Apartments to agencies that assist the homeless as part of the Housing First Program. 68 persons were served in the first year.
The Boulder County Housing Counseling Program provides Longmont residents with Homeownership training, one-on-one Pre-purchase budgeting sessions, and post purchase training and classes. In addition, they are providing mortgage delinquency and foreclosure prevention counseling, as well as credit counseling and offer many different training and financial education classes. Call 720-564-2279 for Foreclosure Prevention assistance, or check out their website for more information on trainings and classes.
