Estes Valley Workforce Housing

March 2, 2018 update:

The Town of Estes Park is working with AmericaWest Housing Solutions and Prairie Fire Development to examine potential development of workforce housing solutions on Town-owned properties located on Fish Hatchery Road and Dry Gulch Road. They would be approached as two separate projects.View maps of the Fish Hatchery Road property and Dry Gulch Road property.

This effort will include significant opportunities for public input and involvement. The planning and design process will occur over a year’s time to ensure time for the collaborative community effort. It will result in an overall site plan with rezoning and sub-dividing plans, infrastructure improvements, designated open space and trails, unit type and mix details, and construction type and concept details.

A Community Advisory group of stakeholders with varied perspectives on the housing projects, including large Estes Valley employers, will be formed to provide feedback throughout the design/development process.

A master schedule for design and development is currently in development, identifying milestones and public engagement plans.

Project Background

A diverse workforce, composed of individuals who live in the community where they work, is a fundamental cornerstone of the Estes Park area community. The Town of Estes Park (TOEP) is committed to supporting workforce housing because it supports a stable, year-round economy. The gap between the free market home prices and rents in the Estes Park area, and the income opportunities for local workers, continues to widen. Many local workers are not able to live in the community where they work because they cannot afford to pay the prices of the free market homes or the rents applied to housing. Availability of long-term rentals continues to shrink, as vacation rentals surge. Planning for the development of workforce housing is necessary to divert the loss of workforce housing in the free market, but to also offset the effects of job growth and the retirement-age workforce as well.

Through the use of a Collaborative Community Effort (CCE) to develop workforce housing, the Town of Estes Park expects to achieve benefits for the community, such as better value and more efficient project delivery with a high level of certainty and minimized public subsidies. It is important that any workforce housing proposed is compatible with the workforce housing need at the time and fits the fabric of the neighborhood. Workforce housing should also address: respect for the environment, transportation impacts, site-specific considerations, and impacts on public resources. The workforce housing project will also need to be sensitive to the historical nature of the site and the Estes Park area community.

Purpose of Workforce Housing

The Town of Estes Park sought a qualified Developer to partner with local organizations, to evaluate, plan, and implement the development of the Fish Hatchery/Dry Gulch properties for attainable workforce housing. The current vision is a Planned Unit Development that could have a mix of for-sale and rental units, and the potential for selective site amenities, to attract and retain workers in the Estes Valley area.

Goals for Workforce Housing

The intent of this project is to make a significant impact in the number of available units for sale, and/or for rent, to workers in the Estes Valley. The Estes Valley Workforce area would be the same geographical area as the Estes Park School District R-3 boundaries. The project may include, but is not necessarily limited to; planning, development, financing, management, operation, and maintenance of attainable housing.

Develop a collaborative relationship with local agencies, including, but not limited to:
- Town of Estes Park (TOEP)
- Estes Park Housing Authority (EPHA)
- Estes Park Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
- Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)
- Estes Valley Land Trust (EVLT)
- Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD)
Large employers in the Estes Valley Workforce area:
- Estes Park Medical Center (EPMC)
- Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)
- Estes Park School District R-3 (EPSDR3)
- Town of Estes Park (TOEP)
- The Harmony Foundation (also a neighbor to the Fish Hatchery project property)
- YMCA of the Rockies (YMCA)
TOEP is interested in deed/rental restrictions that require residents of the project to work in the Estes Valley Workforce area.
Rezone the properties to increase density potential
Target market for the future residents is 60% to 150%, Area Median Income, (AMI)
Focus on year-round workforce housing, not seasonal housing
Possibilities of Master Lease agreements, for a portion of the rental units, with Estes Valley Workforce area, large employers
Provide options for "neighborhood appropriate" amenities to attract workers and provide services, such as, but not limited to:
- Daycare facilities
- Trail connection to Fall River Trail
- Outdoor/Park/Open space
- Transportation facilities

Project Proposals

Proposals submitted in response to the RFP were to provide all professional services necessary for site development through project delivery, and address the potential for future management of the project. The Town Board approved America West as the selected developer for this project. No final designs have been approved. AmericaWest and Prairie Fire Development have been instructed to create a schedule of design and development which will have significant opportunities for public input and involvement. The proposed agreement for planning and design was extended from 6 months to a full year to ensure the Collaborative Community Effort has time to develop and contribute to this process.

Following are the proposals received and a summary of the selection committee's ratings:

C3 Team Fish Hatchery Proposal

Encampment Fish Hatchery Workforce Housing RFP Response

NV5 Summary

TOEP Summary of Developer Selection Process

America West Fish Hatchery Proposal