Garfield County not quite ready to join regional housing coalition

Garfield County commissioners are split on whether or not to join a regional nonprofit housing coalition that could demonstrate very important in acquiring condition grants and loans aimed at addressing housing desires throughout Colorado.

Numerous Roaring Fork Valley governments have now agreed to support the new Greater Roaring Fork Valley Housing Coalition, such as $10,000 every in seed dollars.

Between them are the city of Glenwood Springs and the town of Carbondale in Garfield County, as nicely as Aspen, Snowmass Village and Pitkin County.

Garfield County’s guidance would send out a message that the intergovernmental cooperation required to handle the absence of affordable housing extends beyond the Roaring Fork Valley proper, claimed David Myler, who chairs the housing coalition organizing committee, in the course of the Monday county commissioners assembly in Glenwood Springs.

A coordinated, regional work is the finest way to create the sorts of general public-non-public partnerships vital to create much more inexpensive housing for a regional workforce that is stressed, Myler mentioned.

“This is a way for us to come up with the remedies to the complications we have been looking at for a very long time,” he stated. “The coalition can help in carrying out that directive.”

But the notion of Garfield County staying bash to that effort and hard work was achieved with a resounding “no” from Commission Chairman John Martin.

“This is a problem that’s pushed by a class process in Aspen on down,” Martin reported. “Regionalism is a wonderful concept, but what I have seen from Pitkin County is ‘we’ll get the glory and, Garfield County, you spend the bill.’

“We simply cannot carry on to cater to the elite in Aspen and Pitkin County,” he stated.

Martin and fellow Commissioner Mike Samson of Rifle recommended that the dilemma stems from the Aspen and Pitkin County workforce not currently being able to manage to live in which they perform.

Even so, Samson was additional open up to the plan of signing up for the housing coalition, if the western Garfield County cities of New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute concur to participate.

“I’ve reported it a zillion periods: Pitkin County and Aspen want to get housing for their staff so they really do not have to (count on) men and women dwelling west of Glenwood Springs,” Samson claimed.

He acknowledged, nevertheless, that housing affordability “is only acquiring worse” and isn’t constrained to Pitkin County and jap Garfield County any more.

“It’s vital that you get these other communities in Garfield County on board,” Samson said, noting his involvement in assisting to deliver Parachute and Battlement Mesa collectively for a sequence of forthcoming town corridor conferences to examine challenges together with housing requirements.

As for the housing coalition, Samson wondered what upcoming financial obligations would be required to maintain the business further than the preliminary $10,000 in start off-up resources. With declining county revenues similar to the fall in oil and fuel exercise, Garfield County may not be in a place to go on that aid, he reported.

Myler acknowledged long run funding would be needed to pay back an expert employees to put the many housing partnerships alongside one another. But the coalition alone would not be in the improvement organization, he explained.

“Housing does require to be matched up with exactly where people work,” Myler also said in solution to Samson and Martin’s considerations.

“We’re not seeking to modify a way of daily life if men and women appreciate living in Rifle and doing the job in Aspen … but the aim ought to be to develop housing nearer to wherever persons work.”

The arranging committee has been in talks with the western Garfield County municipalities and hopes to have at minimum some of them on board, Myler stated.

Commissioner Tom Jankovsky was inclined to sign up for the coalition now, nevertheless he stated he also has worries about government involvement in housing advancement.

“That’s in opposition to what I stand for, and I think that belongs in the personal sector,” he mentioned.

Concerning the regional housing coalition, however, “I think we should be at the desk so we’re not supper.”

Jankovsky’s motion to place up the $10,000 in seed funds and indicator the letter of intent to be part of the coalition died for deficiency of a next.

He and Samson presented that they would be open up to reconsider in the in close proximity to long term. Jankovsky also said he would agree to sign a letter of assist for any point out housing grants or financial loan requests.

The state of Colorado, via the Department of Nearby Affairs, is preparing to make some $450 million in housing cash from the American Rescue Program Act obtainable for economical housing initiatives.

Regional coalitions will be viewed additional favorably in the competitive procedure to get individuals cash, said Gail Schwartz, president of Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley, who attended the Monday assembly with the Garfield County commissioners by way of Zoom.

“If we can talk with a single voice we will be additional aggressive with these grants at the condition stage,” she claimed, adding the county’s participation would “give voice” to the communities in the Colorado River Valley, whether or not they be a part of the coalition or not.

Commissioner Martin said that any regional effort must be broadened to include the Eagle River Valley and some of the outlying locations of Pitkin County. But the lengthy-phrase expenses are a concern, he said.

“We cannot maintain it once that awesome, cost-free government income is absent,” Martin explained. “We can proceed to discuss, but it is going to be a mountain for me.”

Pitkin County Supervisor John Peacock also joined the Monday conference by way of Zoom. He reiterated Schwartz’s position about opposition for the point out funding, in particular when up versus Front Selection passions.

“We do hope that in the future we have the important voice that you would provide to the regional desk,” Peacock said to the downvalley commissioners. “We want to be established up to compete appropriately with the urban locations of the point out, so we get our honest share.”

Senior Reporter/Handling Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or [email protected].