FoCo Observer

Fort Collins’ independent local news

Friday, September 11, 2026 · Fort Collins, CO · Free

Fri, Sep 11 · 1 item

Article

Fort Collins Community Survey: Affordability the Weakest Area, 6% Positive on Quality Housing

Affordability was the weakest area in Fort Collins's 2026 community survey, staff told city council at its September 8 work session, with a 6% positive rating on quality housing. Staff framed the survey as a "report card" that feeds strategic planning and budgeting. Growth management registered as stable, and Fort Collins continued to draw positive ratings as a place to work. Overall perceptions of quality of life remained strong, with ratings for the city as a place to live…

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Updated Sep 11, 4:36 AM

Fri, Aug 28 · 1 item

20120720-NRCS-LSC-0392

Article

Fort Collins may approve apartment projects without public hearings

Fort Collins City Council takes up a land use code change on Sept. 1 that would let apartment and mixed-use projects be approved by a single staff member, with no neighborhood meeting and no public hearing. The city's own Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 on Aug. 20 to tell council not to do it for the largest ones. City planning staff described the effect plainly to the commission. Multi-unit and mixed-use dwellings would move to Basic Development Review, an administ…

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Updated Aug 28, 9:09 PM

Fri, Aug 14 · 1 item

Old Town Square, Fort Collins, Colorado

Article

Council Hears InnoSphere Update, Weighs Downtown Parking Fixes

Fort Collins City Council heard an economic development update from InnoSphere and reviewed a downtown parking optimization update during an August 11, 2026 work session. The Economic Development Director introduced InnoSphere's CEO, who presented on the organization's activities — including its real estate projects and funding opportunities — framed around regional economic prosperity and the NSF ASCEND Engine initiative spanning Colorado and Wyoming. Councilmembers asked q…

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Updated Aug 14, 7:06 AM

Sun, Aug 9 · 1 item

Cache Poudre Valley, Rocky Mount N.P 8-12

Article

Poudre School Board to Pick Director F Successor, Rule on Expulsion Appeal; Lobbying Records Close Out District's Year at the Capitol

The Poudre School District Board of Education will choose who fills its vacant Director District F seat — a pick that decides who holds the seat for more than a year before voters get a say — and rule on a student expulsion appeal when it meets Tuesday, August 11. The board declared the District F vacancy on July 20 under the state law that requires school boards to fill their own empty seats, C.R.S. § 22-31-129(2). Applicants submitted written applications, and the board pl…

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Updated Aug 9, 9:09 AM

Sat, Jul 25 · 1 item

On Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado

Article

Council Advances Housing, Clean-Fleet, and Well-Plugging Grants at July 21 Meeting

Fort Collins City Council met in regular session on July 21, 2026, with all seven members present, and moved a slate of state and federally-funded grant measures, according to the meeting's action agenda. The meeting opened with a proclamation declaring July 2026 Disability Pride Month. Council adopted on second reading Ordinance No. 080, appropriating $792,434 in Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant revenue through the Transit Oriented Communities Infrastructur…

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Updated Jul 25, 1:48 PM

Thu, Jul 23 · 1 item

Article

Colorado Legislature Enacts Two Early-Childhood Education Bills on Reading Evaluation and Vision Screening

The Colorado General Assembly has enacted two education measures aimed at early childhood development: House Bill 26-1352, which revises how the state evaluates its early-literacy program under the READ Act, and House Bill 26-1193, which extends vision screening to pre-kindergarten students. HB26-1352 changes the required independent evaluation of READ Act spending from an annual to a biennial requirement. It also directs the Colorado Department of Education to post an annua…

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Updated Jul 23, 10:32 AM

Mon, Jul 20 · 1 item

Hiking trail Horsetooth Reservoir Fort Collins Colorado

Article

Housing grant, ADU program and orphaned-well waiver on Fort Collins council agenda July 21

On the discussion calendar, councilmembers will consider a $792,434 state grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs for infrastructure supporting Switchgrass Crossing, an affordable housing development. They will also consider appropriating $157,000 in Department of Local Affairs grant money, plus $83,000 from the 2050 City Climate Tax, for an accessory dwelling unit program covering ADU design plans and eligible fee waivers. A third item would waive Basic Developm…

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Updated Jul 20, 9:45 PM

Wed, Jul 15 · 1 item

Article

Council Unanimously Approves BEAD Grant Agreement, Receives Budget Updates

At the 5:45 p.m. special meeting, the council adopted Resolution 2026-091, authorizing the City Manager to sign the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant agreement, on a 7-0 vote with no staff presentation and no public comment. This action was the separate authorization needed to sign the grant agreement, as the council had already appropriated the BEAD funds. Following the special meeting, the council held a 6 p.m. work session, which took no formal action.…

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Updated Jul 15, 7:36 PM

Sat, Jul 11 · 1 item