Lewis: We can solve the affordable housing puzzle — Part 1: The Situation
In my “second” career/life here in the mountains, my volunteer efforts have been focused on affordable housing, which has been repeatedly cited as the single largest issue here in the Vail Valley. Principally, I have been volunteering and working for Habitat for humanity doing mostly electrical work. I haven’t worked a hands-on job since college and forgotten how rewarding it can be to be able to look at something and say, “I built that.” If you have some time and are even moderately mechanically inclined, I encourage you to check it out. For me it has been one of the most fulfilling jobs in my life.
I am also building a home here — the third one I have built over the years — and have personally experienced what it is like to try to build something here these days — spoiler alert — it’s not easy or cheap. From the 5 months wait to get a building permit (with zero changes) after having completed 5 separate HOA reviews that took an additional 6 months, to the fees that have so far amounted to more than the total cost of my first two homes combined, to the bureaucracy and the ever expanding and ever-changing rules.
A simple example. I volunteer as an electrician but have not gotten a license as we work under licensed electricians and I have no intent to do electrical work for pay. One of the neat things with building a home (I thought) was that a homeowner is allowed to do their own work (inspected of course) so I pulled my own electrical permit. The problem, as I quickly found out is that the law contains a clause the I must do 100% of the work without any help or assistance.
Imagine trying to pull a long stretch of wire without a helper uncoiling at one end or maybe even just needing someone to steady a ladder and hand you a tool. Like most things in construction, some tasks will take more than one person. So, while there is a law that portends to allow homeowners to do things themselves to save money, the law is a complete and total sham.
My own experience building a home has given me great sympathy for local builders. I hear stories of them waiting literally years for approvals with no clear understanding of what might be required next. From what I could gather, building here in Eagle County is more of an art than science.
Support Local Journalism
A modest project that works in one town dies in another because parking rules change, fees stack differently, or approvals stretch just long enough that only luxury housing can survive the delay. We keep asking why “middle” housing never shows up while quietly regulating it out of existence.
While Habitat and other groups are fighting the good fight, the data and feedback from the Habitat team shows that, in terms of solving the affordable housing problem we are basically treading water, meaning that the problem is not getting worse but it’s also not getting better. I don’t know what might be being discussed behind closed doors but, to me, treading water is not good enough.
I have thought a great deal about this problem and my conclusion is that not only can we do better – we can potentially solve this issue. The good news is that we don’t need more money — we need to save money to make things more affordable. The bad news is that we have to do the hard work to unify, and simplify which is much harder than spending more money.
Over the next two columns, I will outline my thoughts as to how we might stop treading water and really solve the housing affordability puzzle.
Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He’s now retired and writes thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds, Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.
