Town News

Catch Up With Council, January 28, 2025: DarkSky Program in Frisco, Housing Helps Update, 101 West Main Street Town Funding for Affordable Housing & More

Dark Sky Program in Frisco

Local DarkSky advocates reached out to Town staff in 2023 to encourage the Town to consider pursuing an International DarkSky Community certification through DarkSky International. In March 2024, Council directed staff to begin pursuing certification. Subsequently in the summer of 2024, Community Development planning staff applied to initiate the certification process. In August 2024, the Town received written confirmation of eligibility to continue in the International DarkSky Community application process.

In October 2024, Town Council approved a letter of support to apply to the Colorado DarkSky Certification Mentor Program through the Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado. The Town was awarded 70 hours of expert mentorship through this grant, and Town staff began working with the Town’s assigned mentor, Mark Laurin, to work towards certification.

At the January 28, 2025 work session, DarkSky mentor Mark Laurin and staff presented the process for pursuing DarkSky certification, including next steps and needed community support. The steps include:

  • Convene a project steering committee, which is a working group that meets at least six times a year for 90 minutes over the course of one year.
  • Conduct a sky brightness measurement program, which includes using a sky quality meter (SQM) handheld device that measures the brightness of the night sky. It’s used to quantify the brightness of the sky at the zenith, or straight up. Some of this work has already been done by Town Staff with the support of mentor, Mark Laurin.
  • Engage in community outreach, explaining the impacts of light pollution on humans and animals. The Frisco Historic Park has already been offering natural history programs around birding and stargazing to provide the community with more information about the benefits of DarkSky efforts.
  • Develop an updated lighting ordinance.
  • Set up a policy planning framework, which brings in local business owners, HOAs, and other partners so that policy reflects the community’s capacity.
  • Conduct an inventory of Town-owned lighting.
  • Submit an application for DarkSky certification. There is no timeline to get this certification, and the Town can take its time getting this right. Staff anticipates submitting the application for certification in 2026 if all steps are completed and supported by Council.

Staff sought feedback and direction from Town Council, and Town Council had questions about how to partner with neighbors, such as the hospital and middle school, which are not in Frisco’s jurisdiction. Mark Laurin suggested that these neighbors be approached to partner and that he has seen a lot of success with this. Council also had questions about holiday lights and how to adapt to better meet the needs for dark skies, and it was emphasized that DarkSky efforts are about progress, flexibility, and innovation and not about getting rid of all lights. Mark Laurin also emphasized that dark sky programs will not impact community safety, as lights are needed but that the right lights in the right spot can in fact increase safety (not shining in eyes). Council affirmed that they want to make progress on providing community members with a DarkSky experience where stars will be visible and our small town feel will be preserved and enhanced.

Housing Helps Update

The purpose of the January 28 work session was to provide Council with an update on how Housing Helps funds were utilized in 2024 and is outlined in the staff report. In August 2019, Resolution 19-31 established the framework for the Frisco Housing Helps Program. The program utilizes voter approved 5A funds and a 5% excise tax on short-term rentals.

The Housing Helps program was implemented to help the local workforce obtain and maintain affordable housing, help businesses house their employees, incentivize investment in local housing, and help preserve the character of the Frisco community. Housing Helps is one strategy that strives to address Town Council’s goal to implement housing solutions. Housing solutions come in a variety of approaches, and this program is one of an integrated approach to achieve Town Council’s housing goals.

Since the Program’s inception, 16 properties have received financial assistance. Of those properties:

  • 11 purchases were made by the Town and re-sold with a deed restriction.
  • Two buydowns were made in collaboration with Summit County.
  • Two down payment assistance buydowns by the Town.
  • One deed restriction purchased by the Town; this means that someone who already owned their home exchanged a deed restriction on their home for Housing Helps funding.

Some of the units have just a work/live requirement with no income requirement or appreciation caps but just a requirement to work at least 30 hours a week at a business operating within one mile of the Ten Mile Basin. And some Housing Helps units have a 100% annual median income (AMI) requirement and an appreciation cap, as well as a work requirement.

As currently established within the Housing Helps program, the Town has six options for addressing the creation of workforce housing:

  • Option 1: Town purchases a deed restriction from a new home buyer who can use that cash assistance for anything, including as down payment assistance. Buyers may include businesses or investors who want to rent their properties to occupants who work at least 30 hours a week at businesses within one mile of the Ten Mile Basin.
  • Option 2: Town purchases a deed restriction from a current property owner (including businesses and developers), and then this property has a deed restriction that limits occupancy to local workforce community members who work at least 30 hours a week at businesses within one mile of the Ten Mile Basin.
  • Option 3: Town purchases a market rate or existing deed restricted housing unit and resells the property with a deed restriction limiting occupancy to local workforce community members. Income caps, price appreciation caps, and/or household size limits may be imposed at the discretion of the Town if the property is purchased by the Town.
  • Option 4: Town provides financial assistance to a current property owner to construct an accessory dwelling unit that is deed restricted to local workforce community members who work at least 30 hours a week at businesses within one mile of the Ten Mile Basin.
  • Option 5: Town partners with Summit County to purchase a deed restriction from a current property owner (including businesses and developers) that limits occupancy to local workforce community members with no income cap, price appreciation cap, or household size requirement.
  • Option 6: Town can purchase a deed restriction from the current property owner who has lived in the property as a principal residence for at least the previous seven years. The restrictions limiting occupancy to local workforce community members would no longer apply, but requirements such as income work/live requirements (work more than 30 hours per week in the area) would apply to the next owner. This allows someone who is retired to place a deed restriction on their home for the next owner and still live in that home while retired.

2024 Program Highlights

In October 2023 the Town sought professional real estate services to assist in certain property transactions related to the Housing Helps program. Omni Real Estate was chosen through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to assist Town staff with the purchasing and selling of units.

In 2024 the Town purchased five market rate properties, along with purchasing one deed restriction from an established property owner. In cooperation with the Summit Combined Housing Authority (SCHA), most units bought down by the Town were sold through a lottery process to those eligible residents who work within one mile of the Ten Mile Basin.

Through the Town’s Proposition 123 commitment, the Town also made it a priority to sell units with a deed restriction income cap of 100% AMI, based on unit size. The Town was able to contribute four properties in 2024, to our required commitment of 16 units by 2026. When including the live/work deed restriction purchase for 121 E Main Street, the Housing Helps program invested $1,153,007.78 in workforce housing. This represents a 77% utilization rate of the budgeted $1.5 million budget.

Program Challenges & Changes

  • HOA fees and higher interest rates continue to be a roadblock for potential homebuyers from participating in some lotteries. Per SCHA, “while the property price is frequently described as affordable by many, the high monthly costs often discouraged people from moving forward”.
  • First-time homebuyer assistance in the program has been rare. The current maximum assistance based on a property’s appraisal is 15%. This assistance, while beneficial to a first-time homebuyer, does not provide enough equity for most one- and two-bedroom units in Frisco. According to Land Title’s November 2024 Summit County Market Analysis, Frisco has a YTD Median Multi-Family price of $1,050,000, or over $100,000 more than in 2023. Based on data from our Strategic Housing Plan and the 2023 Summit County Needs Assessment, this median price for a multi-family unit in Frisco is almost double what an average family can afford. Even with 15% down payment assistance, a potential/current resident is still looking at approximately $900,000 before closing costs. It is staff’s recommendation that the Housing Helps downpayment assistance program be raised from 15% to 20% to help potential homebuyers better afford the continually rising home prices in Frisco. Town Council agreed to increase the down payment assistance to 20% from 15%.
  • Similar to what was described in the first-time homebuyer assistance program, the Town is continuing to see decreases in its purchasing power, specifically in the units where 100% AMI covenants were utilized. While staff were able to acquire some property at a somewhat lower price point, that trend is predicted to slow down as prices continue to rise. To achieve our Prop 123 commitment, the Town typically invest between 25% – 30% in order to achieve a unit at 100% AMI, while compensating for higher HOA fees.
  • Since the formation of the FCHDA, staff has been working towards a more streamlined approach into selling units that are purchased by the Authority. Due to TABOR restrictions for units purchased by the Town, staff would prepare two ordinance readings for Council approval in order to sell a unit. This process, depending on the time of year, could take 1-2 months, severely delaying a property to the public for potential purchase. With the utilization of FCHDA as the purchaser and seller, this formality is no longer required, expediting the time it would normally take for a property to be advertised for sale.

Comprehensive Plan Update & Joint Worksession with Planning Commission

Frisco Town Council and Frisco Planning Commission met during a joint work session for a brief update on the Town of Frisco Comprehensive Plan. Town staff and Design Workshop staff sought feedback to ensure that the 80% draft meets the community’s vision and that there is clear direction on which strategies must be included in the Comprehensive Plan to serve as a guiding, actionable document for Frisco.

Comprehensive Plan Background

In the State of Colorado, a Comprehensive Plan is necessary to guide growth and development. It reflects the community’s vision and goals for the future and should address different elements, including land use, transportation, economy, and the natural environment. The Comprehensive Plan can be leveraged as a long-range planning tool to guide town-wide policy decision-making. The Town recognizes that an updated comprehensive plan will better guide the Town in decision making and amending the Town Code in a manner that meets the community’s vision.

In January 2024, the Town signed an agreement with Design Workshop to develop and finalize the Frisco Comprehensive Plan and Three Mile Plan. Since the last update to Town Council and Planning Commission in October 2024, staff and Design Workshop have made significant progress toward completing the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan should be presented to Council for final approval in April 2025, after incorporating Town Council’s, Planning Commission’s, and the public’s final feedback. Town Council and Commissioners have been asked to provide feedback on the the 80% completed draft of the Frisco Comprehensive Plan by the end of January.

101 West Main Street Town Funding for Affordable Housing

NHP Foundation (NHP) provided the most recent analysis of the financing for the affordable housing project located at 101 West Main Street (52 units planned), based on the utilization of 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) that will be applied for on February 3, 2025. This is the second time that LIHTC has been applied for, as the LIHTC application made during the fall 2024 4% LIHTC financing round was not approved by the State.

Resolution 25-08, which was presented during this Council meeting, requests an increase in financial contribution from the Town for this affordable housing project at 101 West Main. NHP came to Town Council asking for an additional $1.9 million loan to close the gap in financing that is needed to make their LIHTC application more competitive. This would bring the Town’s total financial commitment to this project to $6.4 million. NHP feels that it is possible that they will be able to get more funding through other sources, reducing this additional $1.9 million dollar loan from the Town.

Staff and NHP sought feedback from the Council on the proposed LIHTC application submission, financing plan, and additional financial request outlined in the staff report.

Council approved Resolution 25-08 during the January 28, 2025 Town Council meeting to commit to an additional $1.9 million loan so NHP could complete their February 2025 LIHTC application.

Frisco Town Council Meetings: Ways to Participate

Frisco Town Council meetings are available to view via Zoom and YouTube, and are also held in person to make Town Council meetings easier to access for everyone.

The public can provide comment during meetings via Zoom or in person (not YouTube), and a public comment period will be available at 7:00pm; during the consideration of ordinances; and at the discretion of Town Council during work session items, which are discussions that don’t require a formal vote by Town Council and do not require public comment. Again, this hybrid approach is intended to make Town Council meetings more accessible, and meeting recordings will typically also be made available the day after a meeting in the meeting archive with agenda topics bookmarked to the discussions in the video.