Mt. CB forms housing authority appeal board

Looking for a different, long-term solution

By Kendra Walker

The Mt. Crested Butte town council has agreed to formally establish an internal Mt. Crested Butte Housing Authority Appeal Board to ensure the town’s continued ability to enforce deed restrictions and manage appeals for deed restricted housing in the town. The council appointed mayor Nicholas Kempin and council members Valeda Scribner and Bruce Nation to the board.

This action was spurred by the recent dissolution of the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA). While the GVRHA has been absorbed by the county, there are certain services that it has decided not to take on at this time, including Mt. CB’s deed-restricted housing enforcement and appeals.

“There are certain services they (GVRHA) used to provide for us that the county is not currently prepared to provide for us,” explained town manager Carlos Velado during the town council’s January 6 meeting. “So, there are some things we’re taking on.”

The new Mt. CB board will assume the appeal functions previously performed by the GVRHA. Velado said that the Mt. CB board will hear any grievances as outlined in the town’s community housing guidelines, while also functioning as the designated appeal board for compliance and qualification under the provisions of the town’s deed restrictions.

Velado further explained that there are several housing cases that require timely attention before an appeal board, so the formation of this board is a temporary fix until the town can determine a more permanent process.

“There are two deed restricted houses for sale currently,” he said. “And we do anticipate a qualification for purchase appeal for Pitchfork that this newly formed board will hear.”

“I appreciate the action being taken to get somebody over the finish line, or through the process, because there is no process right now,” said council member Roman Kolodziej. “I’m curious to see where this sits in what we should be doing or what other entities should be doing for us…I don’t think any councilor should be doing this.”

“It’s a right to the owner to appeal so we need to have that,” said Velado.

Council member Alec Lindeman agreed, “It’s our job if we don’t have some sort of body to delegate that to.”

Council members discussed the desire that the town ultimately use a third party for compliance and appeals. “The best people for appeals are people that aren’t neighbors with the appellee and don’t go to the same grocery store,” said Kempin.

The town has also been in conversation with the town of Crested Butte on how to collaborate with filling roles and responsibilities previously performed by the GVHRA.

Lindeman and Kolodziej expressed their frustration with the GVRHA’s dissolution and the county’s decision to cut some of the key community housing services previously fulfilled by the organization. 

“They started this problem so why can’t they be part of the solution?” said Kolodziej. “It costs the town money to deal with the collateral damage.”

“With the dissolution and what arises with it is unfortunate,” said Lindeman. “I think town staff is doing a wonderful job dealing with all of this.”