Fort Collins has good jobs, quality education, and wonderful open spaces. These amenities should be accessible to all. Students, immigrants, seniors, young professionals, and families all have the right to find housing near where they work, play, and go to school. Allowing a greater variety of housing types to be built in Fort Collins will contribute to diversity. Building more infill housing will give us more affordable options and reduce the environmental impacts of sprawl.
NIMBYism is when people say "Not In My Backyard" to new housing or changes to policies that allow additional housing in existing neighborhoods. NIMBYism perpetuates social inequality and poverty by preserving access to the best jobs, education, and neighborhoods for only a few wealthy residents. It undermines the democratic process by allowing a vocal minority to block housing that could benefit the broader community. It creates an artificial shortage of homes that leads to surging rents and bidding wars. YIMBY Fort Collins emphatically rejects NIMBYism.
Legalizing more infill housing is makes it easier to drive less frequently and compliments a robust transit systems. It's also an alternative to sprawl to preserve agriculture and open space. More housing is the single best way to improve air quality and fight climate change at the local level. If you care about the environment, say "YES" to density.
The skyrocketing price of housing is why YIMBY Fort Collins exists. The cost of a home has nearly doubled in the past five years. The cost of renting an apartment is rising at unbearable rates. The city is being choked by housing unaffordability; it harms our economy, our schools, our environment, and the fundamental livability of Fort Collins. The answer to the housing shortage is simple and obvious: we need more homes!
The rising cost of housing hurts renters the most, who make up nearly half of Fort Collins' population and are more likely to be minorities, new to the city, lower-income, and working. YIMBY Fort Collins believes that our city's leaders should make a greater effort to involve and consider the needs of renters. Property owners should not have more influence over city decisions than renters. A city that cannot house its essential workers is a failed city!
