Carbondale is one step closer to fulfilling a commercial and residential need that it says the free market cannot.
The Carbondale Board of Trustees on Tuesday selected workforce housing developer Bond/Brookside to build the Town Center project, a residential and commercial design set to be constructed on 1.4 acres of town-owned land surrounding the Thunder River Theatre Company. Bond/Brookside, founded in 2023, was one of four developers that the town selected to interview for the job.
“I want to thank all of the developers who submitted,” Town Manager Ryan Hyland said in the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday. “[They] gave us lots to think about, different approaches, and ultimately, though, we do have to make a decision.”
Carbondale’s vision for the design would include a mix of residential and commercial units to target “needs for commercial and affordable residential space that are not currently served by the free market,” according to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on March 11.
Bond/Brookside proposed including 42, two- and three-bedroom residential units in the build, ranging in price from $420,000 to $775,000 and targeted at those making between 80% and 120% Area Media Income (AMI).
The town also set the goal in the RFP of creating 10,000 to 20,000 square feet of commercial space, which could be used by Carbondale Arts, as a business incubator, as office space or be part of a Thunder River Theatre Company expansion, among other uses.
Bond/Brookside’s design includes 3,324 square feet of retail space, although noted that homes could be combined with first-floor retail and commercial space for alternative live/work studios.
The Town said it would consider changes to the design proposed by Bond/Brookside, but that the developer is responsible for updating the public with community outreach, as much of the design was created with a comprehensive outreach program by the Town and Artspace.
Mayor Erica Sparhawk thanked Bond/Brookside and the other developers that submitted a bid for the project..
“It was an immense amount of work, and really the time that all of these groups took to help us get and achieve our big dream, I really, really appreciate,” Sparhawk said. “And I think our community is going to be glad with our selection.”
Including design, entitlements and construction, Bond/Brookside pro-
posed a project timeline ranging from 24 to 32 months. Visit their website at bondbrookside.com
Valley Meals and More
The Trustees agreed to fulfill a $7,500 request on Tuesday to help Valley Meals and More fund its operations to help feed older adults in eastern Garfield County this year from July through December.
The organization delivers “ready-to-eat meals to homebound and at-risk older adults” four days per week all year, according to its funding request. The request for funding comes after Valley Meals encountered nearly a $15,000 funding shortfall to aid the lowest-income older adults served by the program, 20 of whom live in Glenwood Springs and 20 of whom live in Carbondale.
Valley Meals emphasized the need for the program in its request for funding. The organization serves home-delivery meals to 89 residents of Carbondale, which has 1,399 registered voters 60 or older, 543 of whom are 75 or older.
The continuation of the program could mean the difference between “remaining safely at home and experiencing declining health, hospitalization, or premature placement in assisted living or long-term care” for older adults living independently, such as many in Crystal Meadows income-qualified seniors housing community, the organization said.
Garfield County previously funded the program. This year it approved $35,000 in funding of the $50,000 requested by Valley Meals for 2026 operations, July through December. Glenwood Springs committed half of the outlying $15,000, before Carbondale pledged the rest on Tuesday.
“I do believe we have room in our budget for this,” Sparhawk said before the unanimous approval, adding that the funding would come from the Town’s General Fund.