GYPSUM — The school district’s plans to build workforce housing took another step forward by winnowing possible developers down to three finalists.
The plan is to build workforce housing on land the school district owns in Minturn’s Maloit Park.
Don’t rent a moving truck just yet; they’re probably still a couple of years out, the school board learned during their latest meeting.
To get started, the three finalists will do presentations to the land and resource committee in March.
There’s still everything to be worked out: Who’ll do it, how they’ll finance it and through whom.
“That will take more time than the actual development of the property,” Sandy Mutchler, the school district’s chief operations officer, told the board.
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“We’ve been thinking about this and looking at this for a lot of years. It’s getting real. We’re looking forward to those next steps,” said Tessa Kirchner, school board member.
The Maloit Park project will house school district employees, as well as employees from local businesses, according to the RFQ package.
“In many respects, ECS shares the same housing challenges as do all other employees within Eagle County,” the school board says in its proposal.
About Maloit Park
Maloit Park is 85 acres, most of which is relatively flat. Of that, 39.5 acres are zoned Recreation/Open Space. That includes the Cross Creek corridor, wetlands and riparian areas, and more steeply sloping terrain at the south end of the site.
Nearby are 46.8 acres zoned Mixed Use. The workforce housing project will be located in that Mixed-Use area, the school board’s proposal says.
The Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and the Minturn Fitness Center are already in that Mixed Use area.
Maloit Park was annexed into Minturn in 2011. The annexation agreement between the town and the school district allows for up to 137 housing units.
Maloit Park is already a fairly busy place. It’s home to the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, it’s the temporary home of Vail Red Sandstone Elementary School students while that building is being rebuilt.
It’s also home to Nordic skiing trails, hiking trails, open space, wetlands, and some current school district workforce housing.
