Following the Glenwood Springs City Council’s approval of the city’s hotel/motel conversion ordinance in July 2022, some former hospitality complexes will inevitably, and before long, be converted to long-term housing options.
In fact, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) is slated to collect on the opportunity on behalf of its employees.
In November 2022, RFTA closed on the former Rodeway Inn property, at 52039 Highway 6 and 24 in Glenwood Springs. If all goes well, according to RFTA’s Chief Executive Officer Dan Blankenship, employees of the transportation service should be able to begin moving into the building sometime this fall.
The former West Glenwood motel is made up of 42 units and one caretaker’s quarters. Blankinship said that he anticipates all 42 units will be occupied by RFTA employees. At the end of 2022, RFTA employed approximately 375 employees — ranging from full-time, seasonal and part-time. Blankenship noted that the organization may have added 10 to 20 employees since then but, “It’s a bit of a moving target,” he relayed to The Sopris Sun.
“The majority of the units will be occupied by RFTA bus operators, since they represent the largest segment of the workforce,” stated Blankenship. He included that many RFTA operators are recruited from outside the area and therefore require housing once they’re hired on.
The 42 units at the Rodeway Inn are standard-sized motel accommodations, “similar to studio apartments,” Blankenship explained. Each will be equipped with a bedroom and living area, a kitchenette and a bathroom.
“Currently, the units are being redesigned for the renovation required to bring them up to current city codes, such as installing kitchenettes and a fire suppression system,” he added. “Once the design is completed, a contractor will be retained to renovate the facility.”
Once the red tape is cut, the intention is to rent the units at below market value to its tenants. “Although, the exact monthly rent has not as of yet been determined,” Blankenship acknowledged. RFTA does not expect to sell any of the units to its employees or anyone else.
Although, Blankenship did say, “We do not anticipate — but can’t rule out at this time — subleasing any of the units to other governmental employees,” down the road.
This mostly depends on the state of the housing market, though. Should the market improve and become more stable, RFTA may not require all of the units for its own employees at that point. “However,” he continued, “we do not anticipate that will be the case for the foreseeable future.”
RFTA currently leases several other living spaces in the Valley for employee housing. “For example, RFTA leases 25 units from The Residence on Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs [formerly the Caravan Inn],” continued Blankenship.
He added that “When the renovation is completed on the Rodeway Inn facility, these employees [currently at The Residence] will be transferred to the newly renovated facility.”
Furthermore, he added that “It is anticipated that the balance of the units [at the Rodeway Inn] will be filled by employees currently residing in other units RFTA is leasing in Aspen and Snowmass Village.”
Overall, it’s not a small investment for RFTA. The organization paid $4.88 million for the purchase. In addition, the renovation costs could be more than $3 million alone, but, as Blankenship noted, RFTA will not know the actual cost for the facelift until the design is completed and the project is put out to bid.
Those who are familiar with that stretch of Highway 6 and 24 in Glenwood Springs, know that motel signs have lined it for decades. The absence of the Rodeway Inn sign may signify a shifting trend.