Get your paperwork together, Snowmass workerbees and hopeful homeowners, as the town will soon accept applications for its newest employee-housing on Stallion Circle.<\/p>\n
Coffey Place is affectionately named as a tribute to the late Joe Coffey, a beloved Snowmass community member and longtime housing director who died in January.<\/p>\n
The 18-unit, for-sale housing development proposed next to the rodeo subdivisions is designed for “a segment of market that’s not really currently able to buy a home right now,” the town’s new housing director, Betsy Crum, told the Snowmass Town Council at a meeting Dec. 17.<\/p>\n
The demand currently exists within the village, said Crum, who moved to Snowmass in April from Hartford, Connecticut, where she worked as executive director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development.<\/p>\n
To meet these needs, the housing units will “serve a range of incomes,” Crum said, likely costing between $250,000 to $500,000. The homes will be “comparably priced” to the existing Rodeo Place homes with some adjustment for being newer, she said.<\/p>\n
As proposed, Coffey Place will boast six two-bedroom duplexes at approximately 1,665 square feet, and 12 single-family homes ranging from 2,500 to 3,100 square feet.<\/p>\n
The town’s 2018 budget allocates $3.31 million toward the project, of which $2.97 million will roll over into next year, according to Crum. The budget for next year does not include any additional dollars for the development.<\/p>\n
At least one of the single-family homes will be fully ADA accessible, which a few council members questioned as far as demand.<\/p>\n
While admitting, “We haven’t had a ton of demand,” Crum said, developing an ADA unit can serve as an incentive for elder folks to downsize, which she recently identified as a housing priority.<\/p>\n
Crum said she also considers including an ADA accessible unit in the mix a “community accommodation.”<\/p>\n
If all goes according to plan, Crum expects to break ground at the end of summer, meaning Coffey Place could rise as early as fall 2020.<\/p>\n
The town is working with Charles Cunniffe Architects and CORE Energy on the development. The Aspen-based architecture firm recently completed another major Snowmass project just up the road in the form of the Snowmass-Wildcat Fire Protection District’s new, state-of-the art, $19 million station.<\/p>\n
Two architects from Charles Cunniffe, Jim Kehoe and Chad Molliconi, offered a brief presentation on the site plan and design at the council meeting.<\/p>\n
“We’re very cognizant of the neighborhood, the lay of the land, the views, and we’re being sensitive to the character that’s there today,” Kehoe said.<\/p>\n
“Solar panels, as much as possible, should be a part of the equation, as much as the budget allows,” he added shortly after.<\/p>\n
The town plans to hold a “community meeting,” tentatively scheduled for the evening of Jan. 8 to discuss the development and receive input from neighbors.<\/p>\n
In a memo to council, Crum wrote, “Not surprisingly, the site has wetlands, soils and slope issues that have somewhat constrained the original site design. However, there is still the ability to develop appealing, high-quality homes in a manner that fits in well with the surrounding neighborhood and natural environment.”<\/p>\n
At Town Council’s last housing update in October, Crum said the department also will “look to be a little more aggressive” on the enforcement side in the upcoming year.<\/p>\n
While the requirements are sparse, Crum said, they are critical and form the program’s foundation.<\/p>\n
All told, the town’s housing department manages and maintains six rental-apartment complexes containing 247 apartment units and also administers the sale of 176 deed-restricted units consisting of single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums.<\/p>\n
“I can see there’s been some hard work put in on this already,” Snowmass Mayor Markey Butler said of plans for Coffey Place. “Good work.”<\/p>\n