The Summit Board of County Commissioners supported the use of already budgeted funds for a Summit County Habitat for Humanity project at a June 9 work session.

The county’s support will close the remaining funding gap for the Soda Creek project, which will build five deed-restricted units in Summit Cove and, in total, cost between $3 million and $3.5 million. The towns of Keystone and Dillon had previously committed to providing $250,000 and $500,000, respectively, for the project.

Summit Habitat asked the county for $410,000, which would cover its funding gap, as well as a loan for $590,000. The loan will allow the nonprofit to meet timelines, as some of the funding for the project will come from the future sale of other Summit Habitat homes.

Owen Dodd, the executive director of Summit Habitat, told the commissioners that Dillon and Keystone both had conditions on their contributions, including that the nonprofit would need to close its fundraising gap. Dillon asked that Summit Habitat have a continued partnership with the town, and Keystone asked that one unit be dedicated to someone who works in the town of Keystone.

Summit Habitat plans to start construction of the project by July 31, assuming outstanding building permit applications are approved in time, according to a memo Dodd wrote. Dodd said the county’s funding and loan would allow the nonprofit to build the project in one phase.

Dodd said the nonprofit has undertaken some cost saving measures, including the elimination of a planned storage unit in the project and the hiring of a superintendent to manage the construction in-house. Those efforts combined could save around $700,000, according to Dodd’s memo.

The homes for a Summit Habitat project in Fairplay are complete, Dodd said, but they have not been sold because the nonprofit is waiting on certificates of occupancy. The new in-house superintendent will oversee the final stages of that project, and the sale of those homes will contribute about $650,000 to the Soda Creek project, according to Dodd’s memo.

Other committed funds include about $350,000 from the sale of a unit in Breckenridge. Developer Breckenridge Lands donated land to Summit Habitat in 2022 before deciding it needed the land back, according to Dodd’s memo. The developer committed to donate the proceeds of the unit built on the land to Summit Habitat, though, and Breckenridge Lands estimates it will sell for at least $350,000.

Dodd also mentioned grants and donations of labor and materials that the nonprofit has asked or applied for, which could total $115,000 in value if they are all approved. He also said the project could potentially get $100,000 of funding from Proposition 123, the state’s voter-approved affordable housing fund.

The funding gap would be about $280,000 with expected home sales and potential Proposition 123 funds included, Dodd said, but Summit Habitat asked the commissioners for $410,000 to account for the Proposition 123 funds and $30,000 the nonprofit spent on a consultant to adjust site plans when it removed the storage unit.

Commissioner Tamara Pogue asked county staff to expedite the review process for the project’s building permits, and county manager Dave Rossi said staff would do what it can.

The commissioners showed support for the project and the requested funding, with commissioner Eric Mamula expressing one concern by asking if Keystone would be willing to change one of its conditions. The town asked that one unit be designated to someone who works in the town, but Mamula and Pogue suggested the town either widen the geographic boundary of that requirement or contribute more funds.

“Why would Keystone get a unit when we’re putting in a lot more money?” Mamula asked.

Brandon Howes, an interim county housing co-director, said the county staff would ask Keystone if it would be willing to make either change.