Current Issues

Brush Creek is a proposed development in response to the county wide need for affordable housing. A developer approached the county with a possible solution. They offered to build a 240 unit rental complex at the corner of Brush Creek Road and 135. In return, they have asked to be given the 14 acres of county land to build on. part of the units would be affordable housing and the other part would be open market rentals. The Development is now proposed for 200 rental Units and 20 Ownership Units.

There are lots of ways to do affordable housing but often comes down to two basic options. The first option is to build affordable housing with public moneys. The second is to have a private developer build it. Now there are also several options in between. When a few representatives from the County, CBMR, CB & Mt.CB (all owners of this piece of land) were looking at possible developers for this piece of land they chose to move forward in considering Gary Gates and his The Corner of Brush Creek proposal because his development fell under the second option and did not cost any more public moneys than what was already spent on the land. The other developers required public funds to build their project. 

There are a lot of issues to consider when looking at this project which will be considered as the process moves forward but here are the major pros and cons for our community from my perspective.

First, Needs Assessment Projections for the Northern Valley by 2020 (Areas between CB South and Mt. Crested Butte):

• 189 new ownership units are needed of which 154 units needed will not be filled by the free market.
• 171 new rental units are needed of which 93 units needed will not be built by the free market (<80% AMI).
• The affordability breakdown:
  • 46 units at <50% AMI or up to $689 monthly rent
  • 47 units at 50% to 80% AMI or up to $1,102 monthly rent
  • 46 units at 80.1% to 120% AMI or up to $1,653 monthly rent
  • 25 units at 120.1% to 200% AMI or up to $2,755 monthly rent
  • 7 units over 200% AMI or over $2,755

• AMI is Area Medium Income or $55,100 gross income a year. This is based on the entire household and not each individual. Affordable Housing Rent is based on 30% of the household income a year. A single person making $24,000 a year working 30+ hours a week would pay $600 a month rent because they would be at 43.5% AMI. A two-person household making $48,000 a year combined working 30+ hours a week would pay $1,200 a month because they would be at 87% AMI

Pros:

• It does not require further public funds to build the development itself. 
• It will more than satisfy the Northern Valley needs of 171 Rental Units by 2020 with its 200 rental units and 20 ownership units.
• Project's breakdown for the 200 rental units:
  • 33 units at <50% AMI or up to $689 monthly rent
  • 49 units at 50% to 80% AMI or up to $1,102 monthly rent
  • 26 units at 80.1% to 120% AMI or up to $1,653 monthly rent
  • 12 units at 120.1% to 180% AMI or up to $2,480 monthly rent
  • 80 units at Free Market Pricing
• AMI Units would be restricted to people who live in Gunnison County.
• Free Market Units could be restricted to people who live in Gunnison County.
• No matter if it is a high AMI or free market units the rental rates could only be as high as the free market will allow.
• Minimal Leases would be 6 months and they could not be used for Short Term Rentals
• This development would support a stronger year-round economy in Crested Butte with residents that would spend money in town and it can be assumed that a large portion would work in town.

Cons:

It more than satisfies our rental housing needs projected for 2020 but not all of our affordable housing rental needs. It is shy by:

• 13 units at <50% AMI or up to $689 monthly rent
• 2 units at 50% to 80% AMI or up to $1,102 monthly rent
• 20 units at 80.1% to 120% AMI or up to $1,653 monthly rent
• But will have 92 units at above 120% AMI or Free Market
• In other words, it can be argued that it will be fulfilling 77.5% of our affordable rental housing needs at <120% AMI but putting in 287.5% of our current free market at >120% AMI needs. 

• The greatest areas in the Northern Valley in need of rental units is in the Town of Crested Butte, Mt CB and CB South. This will be saturating the market need for years to come in one spot 1.5 miles south of the Town of Crested Butte and none in the other communities. 
• It will put 1/7th (500 people) of the Northern Valley's year-round residents (3,500 people) on less then 1% of our acreage. 
• This will be the highest density of year-round residents than anywhere else in the Northern Valley (including both towns). Remeber that even though Mt. CB has similar density of units per acre many of these units are empty a lot of the year because they are short-term rentals.
• This development would eliminate the economic pressures needed to attract apartment developers for years to come elsewhere in the Northern Valley, however we will still need to figure out how to subsidize the 35 units at <120% AMI elsewhere in the Northern Valley without the benefit of the need for any more free market units to attract other developers.
• This lot was purchased with the intention of helping to address our future parking needs. As it is the Ski Resort, Mt. CB and the Town of CB are all having parking issues at certain times of year. If Vail can bring our skier visitor days back from our current 300,000 to 500,000 like we used to have, we are going to find ourselves in need of another Parking Lot Parcel which will cost a lot more than this one did and will most likely be much further away.

If all I cared about was the Town of Crested Butte, and no one else, I might be in support of this project. It would support Town's economy, supply labor force housing and it is a cheap solution to a current problem. But there are a few other things that I feel responsible to consider if this project is to have my support. My role is to consider the future we are shaping for more than just our town. 

• I believe that if you are properly planning you should try to steer development where it will be most beneficial. I believe that part of our rental housing needs should be put in Mount Crested Butte because it would support their mission to create a year-round economy and offer better services at the resort by building their needed year-round resident base which you have to have for a year-round economy. By supporting better development on Mt. CB we will all benifit from a better resort.
• We have for years planned the corridor entering Town to be less dense and more open than Town and Mt CB. This would be developing a housing area as dense as any condo area up on the mountain which would only encourage more of the same south of Town. 
• I believe that building affordable housing south of town will naturally attract a lot more people who would like to live near Crested Butte but work, or go to school, in Gunnison than if it was built north of the Town of Crested Butte. I'm not saying everything should be built north of town but I do believe it will be more likely to be filled with those working in the Northern Valley. This is why I am not won over with the argument of traffic on 135. I believe this development will just increase it.
• It is our duty to respect each other as best as we can. I know that affordable housing requires greater density than free market to make it affordable, but I believe that putting in a housing project that is 17 times the density of the neighbors is not showing respect to our neighbors at all. Especially if we are reinterpreting our rules to do so.
• I do believe it is important to consider what would happen if we flood the rental market beyond our need. I know we are desperate for more housing but I do want to make sure we are growing in a smart and balanced way. 
• It is very important that we consider having affordable housing tie into existing sewer treatment plants.
• Water needs to be evaluated very carefully which should be done in the preliminary phase of the sketch plan.
• I believe that it is extremely important to have public discussions about affordable housing projects before it ever goes into a public process. This allows for open discussion to examine the pros and cons of a project allowing a developer to better design a project to fit a community's needs and desire. I believe that done correctly, affordable housing can benefit communities in many different ways and can be a welcomed part of a growing community.
• We cannot just be concerned about finding easy fixes to our current issues as fast as we can. We have to consider the possible issues our solutions might create in the future. Housing is an issue that is being faced across our country. We have to plan for the long term. Community housing is too important to our future. I would rather pay to do it right than to do it wrong for free.

Do you have any thoughts, questions, or possible solutions? Let me know. I will post them here. I am happy to answer questions and even happier to research the answers I don't already know. Maybe we can come up with a better solution together.

I was asked, “Why a sale for $100,000 with a $200,000 buyback?” in regards to the Brush Creek Parcel.

The buyback is to show the county’s willingness to try to work out a plan for the land that will work for both parties. The costs to the developer at this point in the process are quite high so the county knows he is dedicated to making something work. The $100,000 extra in the buyback will not cover his costs but does show a certain level of commitment from the county to make something work. 

"Why not push to build the CB South commercial district out with affordable housing units, or a combo of residential/commercial. Eric Roemer has offered ideas and sketches for an amazing project. CB South has a thriving community, a commercial district. It would be a win win for those in need and those owning property out there who can benefit from sale or donation of the land. 7 miles is where most of the locals live, why not the work force also. The bus schedule is great and it is a contentious locale. There are so many unbuilt lots in that commercial district... the infrastructure is there and the increased revenue would be great for the subdivision amenities too."

I like the idea to an extent. I would say 240 units would be a worrisome density to be placed anywhere in the valley on 13 acres. However, I have heard discussion of spreading the density between CB South and Mt/ Crested Butte, which I think is a very good idea. I like the idea of workforce housing in CB South. I would warn that as the amenities in CB South improve that area will be getting more Short Term Rental Properties there which, unless controlled, will drive up property values and eventually push locals further away. I think it is probably important that this be considered and plans be made before adding any large number of affordable housing units into CB South with the improved amenities that would come with them. 

Below is the proposed plan for Brush Creek from the Friends of Brush Creek website.

A large number of houses in town have sold and have become vacation rental properties instead of primary residences or long term rentals. Locals have also started to rent out their own homes to for short term vacation rentals to help cover their home costs. Several issues have come up with this and town has looked for a solution to limit the vacation rental growth in town.

VRBO has been a tough topic for our town as well as many towns across the country. I have had plenty of guests complaining about the affects it has had in their own neighborhoods. On one side, we have the loss of long term rental housing for locals and local home owners who work here; on the flip side, we now have more short term rental housing available for vacationers who spend money in our town. I think it is important to have a balance. If we lose too many locals; we lose our town's community. This is a tough problem in many communities and I am yet to hear of the perfect solution. I do commend the work that our town government has put into this and I do believe that their solution is worth trying. That does not mean we cannot go back and work on it as we find problems, but I do believe that they have come up with a good starting point.

At the town council meeting on 9/5, council passed a vacation rental license fee of $200 for a local to rent out their own house for up to 60 days a year and a fee of $750 to rent out a vacation house unlimited days a year. These fees will go to running the department in charge of the vacation rentals in town and inspecting them. Town council also voted for the wording of an upcoming ballot item that will be voted on by the town on November 7, 2017. The items calls for an additional 5% tax to be charged to the renting vacationer to go towards financing affordable housing alternatives in town. They decided to charge this tax since the vacation home owners are not charged a commercial property tax for their vacation rental business properties.

Here are some other helpful documents from town:

Do you have any thoughts, questions, or possible solutions? Let me know. I will post them here. I am happy to answer questions and even happier to research the answers I don't already know. Maybe we can come up with a better solution together.

"In 1985 a determined group of Crested Butte residents converted a county maintenance garage into a community arts center. Today, that same building has been pushed beyond its capacity to try to fulfill the changing cultural needs of the community. Over the last thirty years, the local population has doubled, and there has been tremendous growth in the number of events presented, the size of audiences, and the number and variety of educational programs provided by the Center for the Arts and its partner organizations. Two community organizations, the Crested Butte School of Dance and Crested Butte Mountain Theater, inspired the creation of the Center for the Arts. Today, twelve community groups utilize and benefit from the Center. Less than 8,000 people attended Center events in 1985, while last year over 40,000 people attended over 650 events, positively impacting the local economy by more than $3 million." - from the Center for the Arts Website

 •  Flexible seating for 300-330
•  Dance floor and balcony
•  New Alpenglow outdoor stage
•  5 class and rehearsal rooms
•  4 art studios
•  New visual arts gallery
•  Culinary instruction and catering kitchen
•  Multipurpose meeting spaces for the community
•  State-of-the-art lighting, sound and visual technology
•  Energy efficient HVAC
•  ADA compliant
•  25,000 square feet 

Here are two great resources that I found on the Center for the Arts website to help you visualize the project.  The first is a short video rendering. The second link is pictures and floor plans.

The Center for the Arts has raised the full amount of funds to complete the project.

Do you have any thoughts or questions? Let me know. I will post them here. I am happy to answer questions and even happier to research the answers I don't already know. 

Crested Butte was certified as a Creative District in the summer of 2016, joining seventeen other districts in the state of Colorado. Colorado Creative Industries, a program of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, offers the Creative District program for towns and neighborhoods in order to: 

· Create hubs and clusters of economic activity 

· Promote a community’s unique identity 

· Enhance areas as appealing places to live, conduct business and attract visitors  

                                                                          - information is from the Crested Butte Creative District website

I really like this. To me, this is a huge part of the Crested Butte lifestyle and economy. We are a creative, imaginative community. This is what makes all our little shop, galleries, restaurants and industry so great. We have all these creatively driven individuals living out their dreams in their work. I believe that not only is this worth encouraging, but we also need to protect this way of life as we move forward. Tourism is huge in our town but it is these great business that help make our town truly special. These types of businesses also help diversify our economy. I would like to put certain policies put into place that, as the economy grows, will protect our small locally owned business from the large companies coming in and taking over.

Do you have any thoughts, questions, or ideas? Let me know. I will post them here. I am happy to answer questions and even happier to research the answers I don't already know. Maybe we can come up with some great ideas working together.