Letter: Support housing measures on this year’s ballot
Please consider joining us in support of the town of Vail Ballot Issue 2A and the town of Avon’s sales tax on short-term lodging rentals from the Eagle County Housing Task Force, a team of housing advocates dedicated to helping realize each community’s vision for housing.
Task Force members include representation from the public, private and non-profit sectors with demonstrated commitment, knowledge and experience in real estate development, finance, architecture, land-use planning, housing policy, economic and community development, and the desire to deliver deed-restricted locals’ housing, rental and for-sale, for their own community and business needs.
We desperately need both a substantial boost in rental and ownership housing, and we need to both maintain but regulate short-term lodging rentals. We believe the town of Vail and the town of Avon have thoughtfully and boldly created paths, respectively, to help tackle these challenges. We want to see an end to the substantial number of members of our community who are valued contributors to our workforce — from teachers to restaurant servers; from firefighters to health care providers — leave because of a lack of housing available.
We appreciate that 2A by way of a half-cent sales tax increase (that exempts food and groceries) would provide funding to support a diversity of housing solutions, including continuing the successful Vail InDEED program; supporting much-needed public-private partnerships — including for projects outside of Vail’s jurisdiction down valley; and new or redevelopments.
And Avon’s sales tax increase on short-term lodging rentals will help with land acquisition and/or construction of housing, the purchase of deed restrictions and down-payment assistance programs — among other potential efforts to continue building attainable housing.
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If you are a registered voter in Avon or Vail, please consider very important yes votes on these two ballot questions and very comprehensive approaches to addressing the housing crisis across the Vail Valley.
The Eagle County Housing Task Force
Kristin Kenney Williams
Robert Lipnick
Esgar Acosta
Jason Cowles
Elyse Howard
Michael Hazard
Mike Glass
Mick Daly
Kim Bell Williams
Tracy Walters
Scot Hunn
Molly Morales
George Ruther
Steve Spessard
Chris Romer