YIMBY Fort Collins

We wanted to provide some context regarding a recent Sierra Club election in Fort Collins:

In the fall of 2024, three leaders of Preserve Fort Collins––Eric Hamrick, Elena Lopez, and Kevin Harper––ran in an open election to serve on the local executive committee of the Sierra Club. All three were defeated.

Make no mistake: They lost their bid to serve on the Sierra Club’s local executive committee because they were out of step with the Sierra Club, out of step with the mainstream environmental movement, and out of step with Colorado voters.

Where does the Sierra Club stand on housing?

The national Sierra Club has supported infill housing for decades. The Sierra Club’s Board of Directors wrote in 2019: “An essential strategy for reducing urban-related carbon emissions is supporting dense, mixed-use communities and land uses that prioritize walking, biking or transit to meet daily transportation needs”.

“Urban infill,” they argued in 2021, “is a key strategy for minimizing sprawl and vehicle miles traveled.”

The Sierra Club has held this position for nearly thirty years. The Sierra Club was a founding member of the Smart Growth Network in 1996 and was an early advocate for infill housing.

The national Sierra Club’s membership has also repeatedly rejected environmentalism based on restricting population growth or renewed immigration restrictions––in referendums and board elections over the course of decades.

Moreover, nearly every other mainstream environmental organization in Colorado, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation Colorado, and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, has been a staunch supporter of the state’s recent housing legislation.

What role did YIMBY Fort Collins play in the election?

YIMBY Fort Collins is a network of volunteers who are active in local politics and who advocate for better housing policy. We have no paid staff. Our members also belong to any number of other local organizations including Indivisible NOCO, Strong Towns Fort Collins, Fort Collins DSA, and, yes, the Sierra Club.