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Score one for reason

Compiled by Vail Daily staff
Vail CO, Colorado

It’s good to see that at least some of our county leaders are taking the affordable housing mantra seriously.

The Eagle County Planning and Zoning Commission, who serves as an advisory board to the county commissioners, recommends that the proposed West End project be approved.

The project would have a mix of homes and businesses built on a 5-acre piece of land at the corner of U.S. Highway 6 and Edwards Village Boulevard.



West End IS big, with plans calling for 80,000 square feet of shops and restaurants. Some of the homes are reasonably affordable ” the starting price for a studio would be $158,000; a one-bedroom home would be $181,000.

Kudos go to the developer for responding to earlier calls to lower the price of the homes. An earlier draft placed studios at $258,000 ” not even close to being in reach to many local workers.

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And congrats to the planning commission, who recognize that some sacrifices will need to be made to get the affordable housing the county needs. In the words of planning commissioner Pat Hammon, “This is the kind of new urban development we’re gong to be seeing. We have to accept some density.”

There still are legitimate questions about how the project will affect traffic in Edwards. Before the commissioners give West End the nod, they need to make sure the project won’t worsen congestion on Highway 6.

But we hope the commissioners give West End serious consideration. Too often our leaders bend to locals who say they want more homes for workers, but only as long as they can’t see them.

” Tamara Miller for the Editorial Board


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