Fort Collins commission approves five-story affordable housing development near Old Town

Editor’s note: this story has been corrected to reflect that the development is five stories high, not the six as previously stated.

FORT COLLINS — The Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission cleared designs for a five-story, 78-unit affordable housing tower slated just south of Old Town Square.

The commission unanimously approved the project, dubbed “Spark”, at 143 Remington St. without conditions at their Thursday meeting. It still requires final construction and engineering-plan approvals from city staff before it can apply for demolition and construction permits, but does not require any further approvals from the City Council or similar group.

At 71 feet tall, the building would be one of the tallest structures in Old Town upon completion.

Housing Catalyst, a Fort Collins-based housing nonprofit, originally submitted plans for the tower in May. The group operates 17 income-restricted apartment buildings in the city.

CEO Kim Iwanski told BizWest that the nonprofit plans to submit for a construction permit in the first quarter of 2021 and begin an 18-month construction period sometime next May or June.

Spark calls for 78 units split between studio, one-bed and two-bed units earmarked for renters making between 30% to 80% of the area’s average median income.

For a single renter, that would limit income to between $18,350 to $48,850 based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s median of $61,100.

The ground floor would have two commercial units at 2,855 square feet and 3,368 square feet, respectively. The second floor would hold 54 parking spaces.

The project would wrap around the existing commercial building at 143 Remington St. on the northeast corner of the plot. The rest of the lot is owned by the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority, which would retain leasing rights for the commercial spaces on the ground floor.

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