Avon signs purchase contract with State Land Board for Dowd Junction housing parcel
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily archive
The town of Avon on Thursday signed a contract to purchase 76 acres of Colorado State Land Board property on both sides of the Eagle River in Dowd Junction for $5,861,293 — a critical step in a long-running saga to building affordable community housing on the land.
The property consists of 4.6 acres in Parcel 1 — site of a former Colorado Department of Transportation mobile home park — 18.4 acres of Eagle River corridor land, and 53 acres on the north side of the Eagle River.
Pending approval of Avon’s Prop 123 Land Banking Grant application for $2.9 million, the local cost for the land board parcel would be $2,961,293, with Avon looking to annex the property and develop community housing in partnership with the county and other towns.
The State Land Board, which is charged with generating funds for public schools, is authorized to do just two direct sales of its property each year and has to post notice of the sale for 60 days before approving the final conveyance.
However, it’s not an open bidding process now that a deal — long stalled by disparate appraisals — has at long last been reached. The Dowd Junction deal has been in the works for more than three years and required passage of a state law to allow for more direct state action to facilitate affordable housing by utilizing state-owned land.
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Avon officials say they plan to annex the property soon after closing, zone it for community housing and then subdivide a portion of the property to create the first development parcel on the former CDOT mobile home site.
That first-phase housing project will likely consist of at least 100 new residential units. The terms of the sale require all residential development to be deed-restricted community housing.
“The town of Avon deeply appreciates the efforts of the State Land Board and (state) Sen. Dylan Roberts to advance this community housing project,” Avon Town Manager Eric Heil said in an email Thursday. “The central location of this property between Vail, Avon and Beaver Creek is ideal for additional affordable housing development.”
An early plan in 2024 called for up to 700 units housing, but a more phased approach was necessitated by the cost of the land. By the following year, the project had been scaled back. Earlier this year, the state inked a deal with the town of Vail to allow it to store and mix dirt from its own community housing projects currently under construction, as well as building materials.
In April, however, the project got a shot in the arm when the land board authorized staff to negotiate a deal with Avon, which at the time acknowledged it will be seeking other partners, including Eagle County and the town of Vail.
In a press release Thursday, land board officials said the Dowd Junction proposal fits perfectly with the state agency’s mission to “sustain healthy lands and generate lasting revenue for Colorado’s public schools.” They praised the collaborative process that allows the trust to support community priorities that align with its constitutional mandate.
“Dowd Junction is an example of what is possible when we pair our responsibility to Colorado’s public schools with thoughtful land management and strong community partnerships,” Colorado State Land Board Director Nicole Rosmarino said in the release. “We support Avon’s vision for this property and believe this initiative can deliver lasting value for our beneficiaries while helping address one of the most urgent challenges facing Colorado’s mountain communities.”
Affordable housing proponents hope to use the Dowd deal to build on Senate Bill 23-001, which Roberts, a Summit County resident and Routt County native who represents Eagle County and other mountain counties in Senate District 8, championed back in 2023.
“The State Land Board’s Dowd Junction property is a game-changer for tackling Eagle County’s workforce housing crunch,” Roberts said in the release. “This is exactly why I authored and passed Senate Bill Number 1 in 2023 — to unlock land like this.
“I appreciate the efforts and leadership of the town of Avon and the State Land Board in working together to move this vision forward,” Roberts added. “Today’s action is an important step toward turning years of planning and partnership into attainable homes for the people who keep our mountain communities running.”
State Rep. Meghan Lukens, a former teacher from Steamboat, backed the bill in the House.
“Our mountain communities depend on teachers, first responders, hospitality workers, and others who increasingly struggle to live near where they work,” Lukens said. “I’m proud to see Senate Bill 23-001 in action as the State Land Board, town of Avon, and local partners collaborate to create attainable housing and strengthen the Eagle River Valley.”
Following required public notice, the proposed direct exchange returns to the land board for final consideration in October.
