Notes from the road on housing…

First thing’s first… believe what you see, not what “they” say you saw.

Whenever I have the opportunity to spend some time in a beach resort community like I have recently, the similarity of issues with our high mountain valley always amazes me. Crested Butte is of course a lot smaller than almost any other resort community (a blessing), but the problems and concerns expressed by locals everywhere seem similar even though the CB scale might be smaller.

Housing that workers can afford to rent or own near their jobs close to the main attraction (a beach or a ski hill) is an issue almost everywhere. There isn’t enough and anything on the ‘free market’ is never free and rarely affordable in growing resort towns. A common denominator is that so-called affordable housing is not “affordable” to build and maintain, especially when done by government. Without market incentives so important to private developers, the government goal is usually to accomplish something nice rather than to accomplish something that makes money. That is fair but rarely cheap and is a good thing for locals in such housing.

Most of those in charge of community decision making understand that while not everyone has a “right” to live wherever they want just because they feel entitled to — having an economically diverse community makes that community better. Having workers live near their work also addresses a bunch of problems, from traffic congestion, to volunteerism, to creating a deeper more connected community.

Subsidizing local worker housing along with amenities like free buses, daycare, and ski passes are necessary things in attractive places where the ‘free market’ makes real estate so darn expensive. Those subsidies help keep the general community working for everyone whether you live here, visit here or have a second home here.

Our local governments in the valley are actively trying new things and going through the public process to find the best paths forward. Good on ‘em. The challenge is finding the right size and not doing so much so fast that our small-town community turns into a small city with subdivisions of serfs instead of an integrated community.

Crested Butte has a decent track record with workforce housing. Not perfect by any means, but a good number of workers and families live in the North Valley. The town of Crested Butte has a full-time resident occupancy rate somewhere north of 60% which is unheard of in most resort communities. One difference now compared to say 25 years ago is that the fulltime residents moving here don’t have to work to stay here while in the old days, the residents all held local jobs.

As housing is discussed, local leaders should not forget the successes that have occurred and build on them. Continue to address a variety of housing alternatives that address not just workers but senior citizens, full-time locals that are retired, rentals and ADUs, and kids who grew up here and want to stay. Like most of the CB councilmembers at the January 20 housing plan work session expressed, a focus on the pathway to accommodating more full-time, year-round residents seems laudable.

I would also suggest that working to get the private sector more active, either through partnerships, incentives or regulations (in that order) is key. Frankly, Vail Resorts should be pounding nails to construct units for their seasonal workers and year-round employees. Rumor has it my phone tag buddy Mark Walter apparently has a bunch of Almont units in mind to help put a roof over some of his many employee’s heads but let’s see it – and not only there but also closer to the Forest Queen or Elk Avenue Prime. Understanding if there is a needed role from local government to help solidify its community, it also makes sense for that role to focus on ‘community housing’ rather than building employee housing for the barbacks, waitresses or lifties that work for a billionaire or rich corporation.

On a different housing note…

I heard from a Mt. CB resident recently who more and more feels like they are drowning in the wave of tourism housing thanks to short-term rentals. I fell into a similar issue at the beach. Staying in an STR in a big condo complex worked fine. I talked to some locals who informed me that the complex used to be filled with full-time residents or second homeowners who stayed for months at a time. Now, probably 70% of the units had “vacation rental’ signs on the windows. Given the location, I could see why, but locals regretted losing a core piece of long-term residents to weekend warriors.

I was informed of an analogous situation in Mt. CB (on a smaller scale) and it’s something the council up there should be aware of and consider addressing. What was originally a Mt. CB apartment complex focused on workers turned into a place where it seemed a lot of the ‘missing middle’ were able to buy something after a water issue changed the nature of the place. And then it took a darker turn…

What has apparently evolved is that the units have turned over and the STR market is filling the complex to the detriment of the long-term locals still living there. It’s one thing to live in a resort community (which I love) but another entirely to share your homebase with a bunch of kids on school break or a frat squeezing 20 bros and a case of Mountain Time into the communal five-seat hot tub.

I think most people appreciate how Crested Butte regulated some spacing with STRs, limiting licenses and locations to help protect the micro neighborhoods and locals. It showed respect for residents trying to live in the community. That is something for the Mt. CB council to consider in various complexes and neighborhoods that seem to be turning into commercial hotels instead of places for locals or dedicated second homeowners. I don’t mind STRs and have seen that they can help locals financially… but decision makers should consider rules to prohibit the things that push real locals out of their minds and eventually out of their homes.

Last things last. Whenever possible, hire local contractors with proven track records to do the actual affordable housing construction work or at the very least advise the project.

And always, always—believe what you see, not what “they” say you saw.

—Mark Reaman