Letter: We need housing for workers
Everyone is aware of what will happen if our town and valley does not have affordable housing for its employees. I urge the Vail Town Council not to condemn the East Vail affordable housing project. I currently live in employee housing at Beaver Creek Resort at the Tarnes, and without this employee housing, I would not be here and be able to have my current employment with Vail Resorts at Beaver Creek and pursue using my master’s degree in sports management in the ski industry.
The average apartment and housing rent in Vail and the Vail Valley is about $1,400 a month, which if I had to get housing outside my affordable employee housing with Vail Resorts, I would not be able to afford it since that is almost, if not more, than I make in pay in a two-week pay period. I know that is true for other Vail Resorts employees as well. The town of Vail and Vail Resorts need more affordable housing for employees since they can’t house all of their current employees.
The new affordable employee housing project in East Vail should move forward and be completed. Without this affordable housing, not only will Vail Resorts suffer, but the whole town of Vail and the Vail Valley will suffer because, without workers, people will not be able to do what they like to do — which is ski and snowboard on our great mountains.
Vail Resorts should be allowed to build its affordable employee housing on the East Vail parcel of land it owns since other luxury home construction has been allowed in the same area that is used by the bighorn sheep. Why can luxury homes be built on land that impact the bighorn sheep and not affordable housing? Wouldn’t they both have the same impact on the bighorn sheep? Also, Vail Resorts is planning on setting aside some of the land for wildlife habitat and fire mitigation, so it is showing that it took the bighorn sheep into account and cares for the wildlife, unlike the public makes Vail Resorts out to be.
Matt Thompson
Support Local Journalism
Cheyenne, Wyoming
