ALAMOSA — For the past several years, the City of Alamosa has been investing into plans and strategies to help inform policies and goals in order to promote economic development, quality residential growth, and general improvements for the protection of the quality of life for Alamosa’s residents and businesses.

The City of Alamosa commissioned a Housing Needs Assessment and Action Plan in 2020 to understand current housing conditions and work towards solutions to address the housing challenges that residents are facing. The first part, the Assessment, takes a comprehensive look at current housing conditions and the factors that are shaping the housing market, such as demographics, the economy, and the housing market. Other insight was gained by an employer and stakeholder survey. The Assessment was completed in January 2021.  This is what is considered the data portion of the planning process.

This second phase of the work, the Action Plan, focuses on solutions. With an array of potential actions, the Action Plan was developed by the consultant team in close coordination and collaboration with the Housing Working Group and driven by public feedback and that of the Alamosa Planning Commission and City Council. Over 200 community members responded to the survey, and outreach meetings were conducted with the Economic Development Committee, Homeless Coalition, Alamosa Housing Authority, La Puente Board, and Energy Resource Center. A general public workshop and discussions with Planning Commission were also held. The Action Plan took this feedback to craft the goals.

City Council is set to adopt the Housing Action Plan on June 2nd, but wishes that residents have more time to review the final draft before it is adopted. The Action Plan can be found on the City’s website at https://cityofalamosa.org/departments/city-planning/housing-needs/. A copy is also available for review at the Alamosa Public Works Office.