Edwards apartment plan in county approval process

There’s a new idea for a piece of land just west of the Gashouse restaurant in Edwards.

The latest idea comes from East West Partners, which bought the property earlier this year. Earlier plans have been for a combination business and residential site, then a for-sale housing plan. The new plan, which must go through Eagle County’s approval process, calls for nothing but rental units, 275 of them, a combination of studio units and one-and two-bedroom apartments.

East West Managing Partner Jim Telling said the company last week submitted the plan to Eagle County. Telling said the entitlement process could take between eight and 12 months. In the best case, construction could begin in the fall of 2023.

While the county approval process has just begun, Telling said he and others from East West have spent “probably six months” in discussions with adjacent property owners, the Edwards Metropolitan District, the Eagle Valley Land Trust, and local homeowner associations.

Telling said the current plan calls for amenities including a clubhouse and co-working space, a fitness center, community gardens, a dog park and gear storage.

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The first plan for the 5.4-acre site included a roundabout at the entrance to U.S. Highway 6. That would put a roundabout virtually on top of the existing roundabout at the intersection of Highway 6 and the Edwards Spur Road.

Telling said the new access plan will include a loop road that includes adjacent property. Access will be only right-turn in and right-turn out.

The buildings will mostly be four stories, although another story will be added to the buildings on the north side of the property, where the site drops in elevation.

“We want a great place for tenants to live,” Telling said, adding that the idea for this project is for a kind of community within the community.

There’s also the fact that housing is badly needed throughout the valley.

Longtime local housing advocate Bobby Lipnick is the volunteer co-chair of the Eagle County Housing Task Force. Lipnick welcomed the news about the project.

“I think it’s great — it’s an incremental increase in locals/workforce housing,” he said. “Hopefully (the units) will be priced in a way that workers — teachers, firefighters, police — can afford them. From that location, people may work in Edwards, but they may be working in Vail, Avon or Eagle.”

Lipnick said he hopes the proposal for 425 structured parking spaces is adequate for residents. While many people are able to take transit to their jobs, people tend to want to drive somewhere on the weekends for recreation or other uses.

Lipnick noted that Telling talked to the task force about the plan a few months ago. He recalled asking Telling then how many of the units would be deed-restricted for local workers. “I said then if you do 50% you’ll have a much better chance of being approved.”

That’s the number in the current plan.

Lipnick said he’s encouraged to see more private sector involvement in building workforce housing.

People “are finally getting that we’re in a housing crisis,” Lipnick said. “It’s not coming, it’s here.”