Eagle County Housing Task Force: Working together to create more housing
Valley Voices
The volunteer-member Eagle County Housing Task Force last wrote in this space about its pledge to move beyond words about the housing crisis and into action by supporting the approvals and building of new housing. We want to offer up these observations with several housing projects moving through approval processes across the Eagle River Valley or preparing to enter the fray.
Partnership is key
Private-public partnerships are getting housing built. If a governmental agency says it prioritizes attainable housing in its community, its leaders need to invest skin in the game at the outset of the planning process. Both private and public parties must approach the process as partners. What does this look like? A governmental entity may donate land; provide tax breaks; contribute cash; negotiate upfront water tap fees, or traffic and transit improvements; reconsider area median income ranges on restricted units; and, or streamline the approval process to save the project both time and help limit pre-development expense where appropriate.
If housing guidelines support a proposed project, the governmental entity needs to approve it so it can get built sooner and more efficiently as time and financial savings will translate to more attainable rents or sales. If there is a demand from said governmental entity to exceed the housing guidelines, they need to invest. Private sector partners need to be assured that public agencies will be fair and trustworthy partners otherwise the risk of such lower-profit ventures will outweigh the rewards and stifle future opportunities.
An all-of-the-above approach
Pursuing an increased supply across the housing spectrum and a wide range of deed-restriction types is a must. With an estimated 6,000 units being deemed necessary to meet demand, support of a variety of housing types is necessary — attainable rental, attainable homeownership, price-capped, appreciation-capped, resident-occupied, and even free-market if it helps pay for an increase in attainable housing beyond what’s required. Not until the supply of deed-restricted homes increases will rental rates come down. Figures show that for the past 10+ years vacancy rates across the county have remained below 5%.
Land is scarce
So, again, with an estimated 6,000 affordable units needed, if we have a private developer stepping up to the plate with a proposed project, get to “yes” versus finding all the ways to say “no” or cause delays with too many pricey studies and too many demands for pricey infrastructure for which no individual developer should be on the hook.
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Participate in the dialogue
An updated housing needs assessment survey recently closed and the next steps are engaging various focus groups throughout the community. Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley will work with Economic & Planning Solutions to ensure all community voices are heard, so please join the dialogue and weigh in on the housing types you are looking for to stay in the valley.
Looks are important
Good design is imperative to assure all community residents a rich and equitable quality of life. We know it’s tough to make an affordable housing project pencil, but programming, planning, and architecture need to be prioritized by our valley’s regulatory agencies through density and financial incentives. The use of renderings that offer realistic images to demonstrate compatibility and context with its immediate and regional surroundings may help lessen time in the entitlement process.
Be a YIMBY
Before jumping on the bandwagon and shouting the refrain, “We support housing, just not here …” get the facts from the developers themselves and from the jurisdictional staff experts who are painstakingly reviewing these projects. Weigh in and give these new projects and redeveloped attainable neighborhoods a chance with suggested modifications.
We need to retain a community with forever homes for our educators, our emergency service providers, and our hospitality and health care workers. We can do this by coming together, participating together, with a commitment to get to “yes.”
