The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Available for public feedback soon
by Kendra Walker
The town of Mt. Crested Butte continues to work on a draft Five-Year Strategic Community Housing Plan this fall to help address housing affordability and availability for local residents and workforce. The plan focuses on expanding housing opportunities, with the goal to add 30 to 60 units through one to two new projects over the next five years. The plan also aims to preserve existing affordable housing, strengthen regional partnerships and identify funding and development strategies that can help meet local housing needs.
The town council and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) met on September 15 in a joint work session to discuss whether to include the creation of a DDA incentive program as part of the plan. Michael Yerman of MY Rural Planner (MYRP), who is working with the town to develop the strategic housing plan, recently surveyed 10 property owners or developers that have expressed interest in building projects within the DDA. He said respondents cited many challenges or barriers to successfully implementing a construction project, including: cost of construction and labor; utility and tap fees; parking, entitlement process and timing; and short construction seasons.
Yerman explained that certain incentives provided by the town could help developers bring potential housing projects into the town, and he suggested the idea of putting out RFPs to the development community to see what comes forward. From the developers surveyed, their preferred incentives included: density, parking, or other zoning flexibility; gap financing or access to grants; infrastructure cost sharing, tap fees or development fee waivers; and expedited review.
Yerman proposed a $4 million budget of DDA funds over three years.
“The elephant in the room is the sewer line,” said DDA chair Gary Keiser, noting uncertainties with the upcoming Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation trunk line capacity construction project putting a hold on new development. “If we can’t get Water and Sanitation approval, nothing is going to be built.”
Councilmember Steve Morris expressed concern that any potential development would get timed out based on Water and San’s timeline. “To me a five-year plan is going to be pointless,” he said. “We’re going to miss other really good opportunities for other avenues with that money.”
“Obviously we need housing, but we also need other things in the base area to develop. We’ve lost restaurants and we’ve lost activities there and that concerns me,” said DDA member Janet Farmer. “I don’t want to not have funds for some of that down the road.”
“That’s why mixed-use development is so critical,” noted councilmember Valeda Scribner.
The group decided to hold off on establishing a DDA-specific incentive program within the housing plan, noting the Water and San uncertainties and the desire to preserve DDA funds for potential future base area projects. The council and DDA members also recognized that there are still potential housing plan partnerships between the town and the DDA if future housing projects fall within the DDA boundary.
Based on the discussion, town staff is currently updating the draft Five-Year Strategic Community Housing Plan and then it will be available on the town website for public feedback. The goal is for the town council to hold a public hearing and review the draft plan for adoption sometime in October.
Mt. CB currently has 4.9% excise tax in place that applies to both residential and commercial short-term rental units, which goes specifically toward the town’s workforce housing fund. On this November ballot, the town is proposing a 5% short-term rental excise tax increase to residentially assessed properties to help bolster the current housing fund for future projects.
