This Lot Could Become Affordable Housing in Old Town Fort Collins

I know you just said 'fake news' under your breath, but this is actual real news, it seems. 'Affordable housing' and 'Fort Collins' don't often appear in the same headline, but according to the Coloradoan, a six-story, 78-unit building — a project called 'Spark' — could be underway. 

The lot where the new building would be constructed is on Oak and Remington, where the Elks Lodge used to be. Those of us who've been around since before 2012 remember when it looked like this (and those who were around before 1970 may know why it's named 'spark':

For some time though, it's looked like... this:

In recent years, we've seen plenty of high-end developments move into Old Town (like this one... and this one... and this one, too). But, the Coloradoan reported that Spark is a project proposed by the Downtown Development Authority, aimed at providing housing for those who make around $20,000 to $40,000 per year.

According to Rent Cafe, 45 percent of the city's population is made up of renters, and a majority (59 percent) of rent in Fort Collins is between $1,001 and $1,500 per month. Only 5 percent of rent falls under $1,000 per month.

You can see a rough drawing of the building and learn more about the Spark project from the Coloradoan.