The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Upon approval, developer is optimistic about Thanksgiving 2019 occupancy date
By Cayla Vidmar
A plan to quickly develop and sell the remaining 22 units within the deed-restricted Homestead subdivision in Mt. Crested Butte was presented to the Town Council last week by Mt. Crested Butte community development director Carlos Velado and development company Homestead Housing, LLC. All 22 units would be for sale, and people making up to 200 percent of area median income (AMI) would be eligible to purchase the units. If the contract is approved, development would begin in spring 2019 with a goal from the developer of a six-month turnaround, with occupancy by Thanksgiving 2019.
According to the Mt. Crested Butte town website, the Homestead subdivision is a community project between the town and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The subdivision has the potential for 37 units, with priority given to employees of CBMR and the town of Mt. Crested Butte. The units would be a combination of duplexes, triplexes and two four-plexes.
If the contract moves forward, it would require a major alteration to the subdivision’s planned use unit development to create more parking and better snow management, but would not increase density.
Velado said, “Ideally we’d start building by spring of 2019, and could have all 22 units built within 12 months.” To which Lance Windle, owner of Housing Homestead, LLC, responded, “Occupancy by Thanksgiving 2019 is the goal.”
One concern the council had was where the developer’s employees would live and if the developer would be utilizing local contractors. Windle stated he’s looking down in Gunnison to house his employees.
Councilmen Ken Lodovico asked if the developer intended to use local contractors. Windle replied, “We love to take local contractors, but the reality is in order to build 22 units in six months, we have to have a framer and plumber that can dedicate solely to us, and that’s not good for local contractors because it ruins their business in town.”
There is already a list of interested individuals for the property with the town of Mt. Crested Butte, and Velado is “pretty confident we could have a lot of these units filled, if not all of them prior to completion.”
The official contract was not complete at the time of the June 19 meeting, which meant the council was unable to vote on a contract to sell the parcel to the developer. Once the contract is complete and agreed upon by all parties, it will be brought back to Town Council for a vote, but timing on this is not certain.
The town of Mt. Crested Butte is collecting names for people interested in purchasing a unit in the Homestead subdivision. Interested parties must meet deed-restricted qualifications, including: having resided in Gunnison County for at least one year; being employed in Gunnison County and making at least 80 percent of total income in Gunnison County; and having a net worth of less than $400,000 or a combined household income up to 200 percent of the AMI.
Interested parties can view the qualification requirements on the town’s website. To be added to the town list, email Jill Lindros at [email protected] and include your full name, phone number, address and email address for contact.
