Housing — take a breath and evaluate an evolving situation

Having workers able to live near their jobs in a resort community is the ideal. It is ideal because these days it doesn’t happen often. Having the working class as part of the growing community makes for a more vibrant and diverse experience, it cuts down on commuter traffic and it anchors local businesses that feel the pain of off-seasons.

I like the fact Crested Butte has a significant number of full-time residents living in town (64% of units are occupied by full-timers) and a significant number of dwellings in town (between 26% and 29%) that are deed restricted for locals. 

But I will disagree with the majority of Crested Butte councilmembers who on Monday voiced the continued emergency need for more affordable housing at all costs while talking about the draft Community Plan. Yeah, the idea is to incentivize more free market housing, and that’s good, but don’t forget the big picture of what else makes a town a community. Council expressed support for piling more density into CB. They supported increasing mass and scale of buildings in commercial areas like Belleview Avenue and Sixth Street to get more people in the town. Housing was the foundation for every discussion item. I understand that yearning but there is a time to slow down, take a breath and evaluate an evolving situation. This seems one of those times. The human scale of place is what separates us from other similar places and that too needs to be considered. 

There are literally hundreds of deed restricted units for hundreds of workers now in the pipeline or being filled. The 252-unit Whetstone complex by Brush Creek Road is the most obvious development but there is also Mineral Point and Paradise Park in the town of CB, Sawtooth in Gunnison and Homestead in Mt. Crested Butte. Plans to incentivize property owners to build more Accessory Dwelling Units could produce fruit and if the county commissioners are bold, they can require significant dedicated local housing as part of the approval process in the myriad new subdivisions that are popping up on county land in the North Valley. Those opportunities should have a dramatic impact on our small-town housing situation and provide housing security and steady mortgages or rents for years and decades…all great things.

A recent housing needs assessment study predicted about 600 new units would be needed in the North Valley to satisfy the demand for rentals, unfilled jobs, workforce turnover and job growth. It could be argued that building hundreds of additional units for locals adds to that needed job growth. Those new residents need additional teachers, plow drivers, doctors and bartenders who will also need more housing. It’s an unending circle. The one commonality expressed in every resort town is that “you can’t build your way out of the problem.” So maybe consider making the politically incorrect choice to stay small and that might mean not every dishwasher or doctor gets a subsidized unit without help from the business owner instead of the government.

Given what now appears to be a successful public housing path, I will argue now might be the time to take the breath and see how the new affordable housing projects evolve. See how they fill up and where the qualified tenants and buyers come from. Will free market rentals be impacted by more supply? Are another 300 units really needed? Are the units coming in at honestly “affordable” prices for working locals?

Here’s another thought…A snapshot of CB sales tax indicates it is up slightly over a year ago. An interesting figure is that retail shops are taking a big hit down more than 20% in March and 14% for the year so far, bars and restaurants are flat. Restaurant sales tax can be deceiving since if the price of a dinner goes up, more tax is charged but that doesn’t mean more people are ordering food and anecdotally, the numbers of customers were down this past winter. It is e-commerce sales tax that is climbing most on a percentage basis. That says to me fewer tourists are coming and buying t-shirts and going out to dinner while more people are living here now and using Amazon. 

I might be an anomaly, but I like the rhythms of tourist seasons and the attractions for second homeowners who come here for amenities we all enjoy. I like what our small, strange community can offer with the help of tourism and second homeowners. Again, the human scale is different here and that’s an attraction of CB.

When I go to other mountain resort towns, I see the probable glide path for Crested Butte based on typical resort growth. It includes a lot of cranes. It is materializing here now as one drives into CB. Major earthwork is taking place at Whetstone. A turf soccer field and expanded school facility will flash small town wealth. Soon to come roundabouts and a giant new fire station are signs of growth and money. We are choosing the little city path over rough, small-town vibes and that’s all fine as long as we keep it comfortable and interesting for us.

If we as a community choose to always stoke the growth that requires more and more workforce growth, we slide away from being a unique and funky small town to another shiny mountain resort…and there are plenty of those.

So, do we need more housing for locals? Given the out of whack economics of resortland and our recent housing insecurity dilemma, absolutely. And the plan is there and working. Given the increase in housing opportunities on the close horizon it is perfectly appropriate to slow down and evaluate results. 

Also important, don’t ignore the other things that make this place an attractive spot for free spirits who want a CB experience. For example, keep Belleview gritty by focusing on commercial uses and shops for tradespeople instead of having the unintended consequence of gentrifying a valuable light industrial zone in the name of housing which will happen when residents complain about noise and fumes in the neighborhood. Put a fresh focus on the Community Plan idea of “community serving business” spaces, whatever that means. I just like the bold idea of pursuing a new course that might attract an out of the mainstream entrepreneur type.

Sure, keep an eye open for potential land banking for future housing but now is the time to consider a bigger picture. Let’s not reflexively turn the small town into a little city in the name of housing. Take a breath on the current path of success and take stock of where we are… and then make informed decisions on where you want to go with the big picture. With so many community housing opportunities within reach, now is the logical time to do that.

—Mark Reaman