By Kari Eakins – 28 Feb ’15
Citizens, business owner, housing professional and government officials are being encouraged to participate in the Cheyenne and Laramie County Housing Assessment listening sessions. Multiple sessions will be held in Cheyenne, Albin, Burns and Pine Bluffs on March 9-12, 2015.
“The Department of Housing and Urban Development was charged with completing a community needs assessment in Cheyenne, Wyoming,” according to Lyle Konkos, HUD’s field office director for the state of Wyoming. “After meeting with community stakeholders and elected officials, it was agreed that a more focused assessment on housing is needed.”
The Wyoming Business Council says this is a first-of-its-kind housing assessment and tool for collecting, organizing and analyzing information about housing in Cheyenne and Laramie County.
Input is being sought from the public about housing needs, challenges, strengths, assets and future planning.
“The assessment will provide housing stakeholders, citizens and elected officials a snapshot of housing needs and current conditions,” said Konkol. “Additionally, it provides everyone an opportunity to voice your opinion on what’s needed for the future growth of Cheyenne.”
A resource team trained in conducting community assessments will meet with segments of the communities, conduct listening sessions and provide a detailed report with recommendations for long-range planning.
Rural Development Program Manager Kim Porter says the Cheyenne and Laramie County assessment could become a model for housing assessments around the state.
The schedule of listening sessions can be found by clicking here. If you can’t attend any of the meetings, you can also make comments by clicking here.
