The Durango Herald
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San Juan County has requested $472,000 in state grants to build 50 affordable single-family homes.
The proposed development would be near Durango Mountain Resort. It would help the county provide affordable housing to working families.
Silverton, San Juan County and the Silverton School District all have had problems attracting and retaining employees because of a lack of affordable housing, the county said in its application.
Housing costs have increased 84 percent from $113,000 to $300,000 in 10 years. The second-home market reduces the number of available for-sale and rental units, as homes are purchased and removed from the market, the county said.
County Administrator William Tookey did not return messages last week.
The $916,000 project would be funded by the $472,000 energy-impact grant, if approved by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs; $125,000 from county funds and $319,400 of in-kind funds.
Applicants should know by early September if their requests for grants were approved, said Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
Kirkpatrick held hearings in Durango last week to listen to various requests for grants.
"It's really wonderful to be in the southwest part of the state to see applicants," she said. "I know that this part of the state often feels isolated. It's great to be here."
Kirkpatrick said she could not discuss the merits of particular grant applications.
Affordable-housing efforts are ongoing in La Plata County. Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County, a Durango-based group, is seeking federal stimulus money to buy properties in Bayfield for affordable housing.
In May, the Regional Housing Alliance's nonprofit arm received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Treasury Department to provide housing loans to low- to median-income residents.
Mercy Regional Medical Center, Fort Lewis College and Durango School District 9-R each have discussed providing housing for their employees, but no projects have yet come to fruition.
