The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Remember, rent includes a lot of extras
by Mark Reaman
Despite what you saw outside at the beginning of the week, there is not a similar blizzard of applications flying into the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority for Anthracite Place. But that is not worrying executive director Karl Fulmer.
As of this week, fewer than 30 people have officially submitted applications for the rent-controlled apartments located near the entrance to Crested Butte. The building, which is under construction, will house six two-bedroom units and 24 one-bedroom units.
“The number of applications is still shy of 30,” Fulmer said. “That’s not bad, considering we are still approximately five and a half months from the building being ready for move-ins. We are getting about three or four applications per week since the initial week, where we received approximately 20. I guess ‘a blizzard of applications’ is subjective. I would say we’re getting a steady ‘flurry.’”
Prices for the units depend on the configuration of the apartment and the income of the person or people who qualify for each unit. Basically, rents will range from $650 to $920 per month. The units are geared toward local employees who make 50 percent or 60 percent of the area median income in Gunnison County. AMI for one person is $50,200 and $71,700 for a four-person household.
Fulmer does not believe the cost of rent is a factor in having people take their time to apply for a unit in the project. “The prices currently quoted include trash service, heat, hot water and water/sewer,” he explained. “Knowing what many aging properties in town pay for winter utilities, this is a $300 to $500 a month savings for most residents at Anthracite, just in utility costs alone.”
The recent “No Pets” policy could have an impact, according to Fulmer, but he believes the decision to implement such a regulation will extend the life of the property.
“I have no worries at all regarding lease-up of the property,” Fulmer said. “I do worry that some may wait too long to submit an application and not be provided an opportunity to live at Anthracite Place. Most apartment properties that I have built see lease-up increase as the building nears completion.”
He said the insulation on the interior will be completed this week and then it will be time to start drywall work. He said the timeline looks good for a July completion.
