Views on Affordable Housing: 2023 Candidates for Louisville Mayor

Chris Leh

1. What can the City of Louisville do to limit vacation rentals as they reduce supply and drive up prices?

Under our current ordinances, vacation rentals (aka short-term rentals) are not allowed now. Violations are addressed based on complaints that are made to the City. For instance, we’ve heard about occasional roofing crew short-term rentals. If complaints increase, that will start to become a problem that we’ll need to address. To provide another option for affordable housing, however, we may be willing to consider allowing short-term rentals if they are owner-occupied.

2. What should be done regarding creating Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that actually contribute to affordable options? Unregulated ADUs don’t contribute to affordability.

The housing study Louisville is doing will give us more information later this year about the public’s view of ADUs. As to their use for affordable housing, I think we could try to provide incentives to homeowners to keep rents low when they build new ADUs. Such incentives might include faster or less expensive permitting. Homeowners could agree to incentives and deed-restrict their own property, since regulations limit rental controls. Boulder County Aging Services might be enlisted to help with seniors who want ADUs.

3. Louisville’s precious Old Town neighborhood is being bought up, and McMansions are taking the place of the historic miners' cottages. What can be done about that? Could we create a historic district to make it harder to do that?

Current practices may support redevelopment of these sites. To preserve this history, we may need bigger incentives and a public process to acknowledge their importance. Density bonuses could be a potential. This will be discussed as part of the housing study.

4. Does Louisville currently have the right staffing structure to address its housing challenges and to be creative about problem-solving for housing for all?

To address Louisville’s housing challenges and do so creatively, it is likely that we will need additional staffing. We do not have that at the moment. The housing study will help us understand the extent of that need. The public Comprehensive Plan discussions will do so as well. One idea staff are preliminarily exploring is the possibility of increasing cost-effectiveness and collaboration by partnering with another municipality to fund a staff position.

5. Does the candidate understand the connection between housing and greenhouse gas emissions and how the two are related — less commuting, energy efficiency, etc.? Would the candidate commit to adding housing and development perspectives to Louisville's proposed Decarbonization Plan?

We definitely recognize the connection. We have the opportunity to build additional housing while simultaneously meeting other sustainability goals. For instance, I think our City Council would support changing zoning along McCaslin. “Mixed use” and “density” used to be dirty words in Louisville, but in talking to residents, they’re not dirty words anymore. I anticipate that this will be an important part of the Comprehensive Plan we’ll be developing in 2024 and 2025. I believe that the City Council will be talking about zoning early in development of the Comprehensive Plan.

6. What happens when Louisville continues to lose people in the 25-34 age group? How will that impact our schools and our neighborhoods, and what can the City do to change that trajectory, specifically as it relates to housing for younger people?

We learned recently that the average age of a Louisville resident is 43. We mostly have single-family housing, yet we have many seniors aging in place in homes that may not be adapted for that (e.g., in split-level homes). That’s not going to work for market realignment.

I think, however, that City residents’ views on housing are broadening. Most folks know that we need a greater variety of housing. For example, multifamily housing, duplexes, and triplexes could help in some parts of the City.

7. What is the City's plan for applying for and receiving Proposition 123 funds? Are there any specific projects for which you would like to see these funds used?

(Note: the City approved going forward in 2024 with an application to be considered for Proposition 123 funds after the candidates were presented with this question.)

Our Council recently passed a resolution in which we made the commitments necessary to obtain Proposition 123 Funds. There are multiple parcels that the City already is considering as good candidates for Proposition 123 funds.

8. What is the candidate's position on increasing the minimum wage in 2024, as Boulder County is proposing?

My position is that following Boulder County’s lead is not the best path for Louisville to take now but that we should eventually take action.

Over the summer, Boulder County and the City of Boulder presented to us alternative approaches to the issue of increasing the minimum wage. Our City Council reached consensus on two issues, and I agreed with both. First, it was unclear how Boulder County had determined the amount of the proposed increase, and, if it was adopted, what impacts that increase was likely to have on various sectors of the local and regional economy, on the job market for workers, and on the various communities within the County. Second, the City of Boulder’s approach was more sensible. They are spearheading an effort to obtain data about the need for changes in the minimum wage, potential impacts of different increases, and whether the various cities and towns in Boulder County may be able develop a consensus among themselves about any such increase, as well as timing and implementation.

Another consideration that I expect the City of Boulder will address concerns equity. I learned recently, for example, that the increase that Boulder proposed to other municipalities might have the unintended consequence of disproportionately and adversely affecting some Latino-owned businesses. Once we obtain that information, our Council will have a much better opportunity to determine whether to raise the rate, by how much, when, and how to implement it.

9. Do you support Proposition 1B, the ballot measure to fund affordable housing by repurposing a portion of the existing county sales tax? Do you have thoughts about those funds, if passed, and how they should be used?

Yes, I support the affordable housing ballot measure. It is part of the Regional Housing Partnership. Louisville continues to be committed to 12% permanently affordable housing, an effort that was led by the Boulder County Consortium of Cities, on which I served and represented Louisville. As a personal matter, I have a religious commitment to helping to heal the world, and making sure people have housing is a part of that. The church to which I belong has housed homeless people as they transition into employment and permanent housing.