Prior to this week’s meeting, Town Council held a public work session with the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition (WMRHC) to learn more about their recently-launched Good Deeds program, which provides buy-down assistance to Roaring Fork Valley employees looking to shift from renting to homeownership. Good Deeds works on a basic exchange: WMRHC offers up-front […]
housing
Posted inLocal Government
Glenwood nurse secures home under new Good Deeds housing program
Tempest Manthei is just the kind of person that the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition (WMRHC) had in mind when it launched its “Good Deeds” housing buy-down program on a pilot basis earlier this year.On Sept. 20, Manthei became the first beneficiary of the program when she closed on her new home in Glenwood Springs.The […]
Posted inLocal Government
Garfield County District 3 interview: Steven Arauza
This Sopris Sun interview with Garfield County District 3 commissioner candidate Steven Arauza has been edited for length and clarity. Get to know Samson’s opponent, Republican Mike Samson, here. Why are you running for Garfield County commissioner for District 3?Steven Arauza: The short version is because I believe that Garfield County needs to have more […]
Posted inLocal Government
Basalt Report: More rentals go condo
Prior to the regular meeting, the Basalt Town Council held a public work session with private financial consultant Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS), which performed a rigorous housing assessment for the Town of Basalt and presented its findings and recommendations to the council. In 2023, EPS found that the median sale price of a […]
Posted inNews
Housing Coalition’s ‘Good Deeds’ buydown program hoping for summer launch
A new affordable housing program aimed at lowering the price of existing homes for qualified buyers in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, without the burden of new construction, could launch as soon as this summer. The West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition (WMRHC) outlined plans for its Deed Restriction Purchase Program at a housing […]
Posted inNonprofits
Finding home in a dome
Kate CollinsGuest Contributor A nonprofit with deep Carbondale roots is advancing the green economy one tiny dome home at a time. Using their hearts, hands, brains and brawn in equal measure, In Our Hands has invented an inexpensive, replicable and low-carbon-impact process in which cellular concrete is poured into a form to create an 18-foot-diameter […]
Posted inOpinion
A tale of the last good real estate deal
Surmise to say, I might have snagged the last good real estate deal in Carbondale in 1987. It was a 7,200 square-foot residential building site in the old part of town — at 756 Sopris Avenue, to be precise — for $16,000 cash. By 1988, a developer offered me $20,000 for it. The south-facing lot […]
Posted inLocal Government
Real estate transfer bill would assist local affordable housing efforts
A bill that’s expected to be introduced by state Rep. Elizabeth Velasco when the Colorado Legislature convenes for the 2024 session next week aims to provide another tool in the effort to create more affordable housing locally. Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, who represents House District 57, will be joined by state Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle (Senate […]
Posted inNews
Development neutral programs possible solution for regional “housing catastrophe”
April Long, program director of the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition (WMRHC), and Hannah Klausman, Economic and Community Development director for the city of Glenwood Springs, talked problems and solutions at Aspen Journalism’s housing panel on Wednesday Dec. 6. Long, an engineer by training, told the audience that she’s new to the issue, having left […]
Posted inLocal Government
Basalt Report: Midland underground construction wrapped up for 2023
This week, Basalt Town Council discussed potential affordable housing developments over the next several years, provided a final update on Midland’s construction for the year and signed agreements for updates coming to the town’s trails and parks.Prior to their regular meeting, Town Council convened for a work session with Basalt Affordable Community Housing (BACH) to […]