The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
But CB on the move to address situation
by Mark Reaman
It will come as a surprise to no one who has been paying attention that it is becoming more and more difficult to find a place to buy or rent in Crested Butte. The housing market is tight, rents are increasing and home prices on the market are climbing well out of reach of the working local. Summer has lately been the focus of the situation and this year the upcoming summer crisis is already rearing its head.
It is currently the slowest of Crested Butte times but town planner Michael Yerman is already seeing what could be a crisis situation as the calendar gets closer and closer to June. “I’ve had 12 folks come in my office this past week looking for rental housing for the summer,” he said. “Many of them have stated they are losing their current rentals to the rental by owner ‘RBO’ market for the summer.”
The town has long been aware of the situation and with regional partners has put several plans into motion. Applications for those interested in purchasing a deed-restricted lot in Blocks 79 and 80 on the northeast side of town are due by May 9 to the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority. Deed-restricted lots will be offered for sale in mid-June through a lottery system. Eventually 61 units will be sold to qualifying locals over five years.
Yerman hopes locals apply for this opportunity even if they are not sure they would qualify for the lots immediately. “Once someone submits an application, they will be qualified for future lotteries if a unit opens up. My hope is to have an applicant pool ready and financially qualified as units are developed over the next five years,” Yerman said.
The new rental complex across from Clark’s Market, Anthracite Place, is taking shape and completion in slated for July of this year. That project will provide 30 units of low-income workforce housing for the community. Income limits based on annual median income apply to those who would qualify for one of the new units. For example, a single person hoping to rent one of the units could make no more than 60 percent of the AMI or $28,920 annually.
“The building is really beginning to take shape,” said Karl Fulmer, executive director of the Housing Authority. “As of now, we have more than 30 applicants for units in Anthracite Place. We expect more to apply as the building gets closer to completion. We encourage all who are interested to continue to apply, as not everyone who has applied to this point will be able to qualify.”
Crested Butte has also started another accessory dwelling unit (ADU) survey. Last year the Town Council passed new regulations on the enforcement of the restricted covenants on these units, which included the provision that units not rented long-term for a period of three months or more are out of compliance and may be fined up to $100 per day. Many ADUs in town were given a financial break on the water-and-sewer tap fees in exchange for agreeing to rent the units to long-term locals.
“In years past, we have had very good compliance with a majority of these units,” said Crested Butte building and zoning director Bob Gillie. “But the council felt even more could be accomplished by taking a stronger line. This year the town will be enforcing the restrictive covenants once the survey is completed.”
On the short-term rental front, the council directed town staff at the last council meeting to create a “RBO committee” to look at the impact RBOs are having on the community. The committee will be focusing in on four primary issues including community impacts, neighborhood impacts, safety and fairness, and process.
The town is accepting applications for two community-at-large members until Friday, April 22. Anyone interested in participating can find the application on the town’s website.
Yerman also maintains an active email list with monthly updates on affordable housing projects and educational classes on home ownership. To get on the list, those interested can email Yerman at myerman@crestedbutte-co.gov. “Home ownership is a big financial commitment. The more we can do to ensure our citizens are educated about what it takes to buy a home the more successful they will be in their housing in the long run,” he explained. “I’m expecting it to be a busy summer and the town has worked hard for the past two years to create new housing options for our local workforce.”
Applications for both the Block 79 and 80 lot sales and the applications to get a place in Anthracite Place can be found on the Housing Authority website, gvrha.org.
