Seeking further solutions to the area’s low housing inventory, the Summit Board of County Commissioners recently took the first steps toward possibly overhauling parts of its land use and development code. 

During a Tuesday, July 11, meeting, commissioners discussed a framework for a revamped land use code that included streamlining building applications, expanding housing standards and even mandating low- to middle-income units in new developments. 

County commissioners contracted Logan Simpson, a Colorado-based planning firm, to investigate the options and present an initial report. 

“Really, supporting workforce housing development was the tentative project,” said Jennifer Gardner, Logan Simpson Senior Associate Planner Jennifer Gardner. 

The report comes as the county is also preparing to see the final results of a housing needs study it commissioned earlier this year. That report, which officials say is expected by the end of July, will likely complement the firm’s recommendations, Gardner said. 

Across 36 community meetings, which included homeowners and real estate experts, the firm explored ways to reduce upfront costs and time, provide clear and understandable standards and incentivize the right development for the right neighborhoods, Gardner said. 

“We heard a lot about cost,” Gardner said of the meetings. “We all know that building costs and infrastructure costs are just going up, which makes it very hard for us to accommodate workforce housing.”

It’s why the firm’s recommendations include expanding the definitions of what is permissible housing, such as allowing tiny homes on wheels and “boarding style” housing. The latter operates as a co-op housing space, with several bedrooms and shared amenities such as a kitchen and living area. 

To help streamline projects and potentially reduce costs, the firm also recommended bolstering use by right, which essentially allows a property to be converted to workforce housing without rezoning the area. 

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Land availability and strict income requirements were also flagged as challenges when it comes to producing and securing housing for members of the workforce, Gardner said. 

Brandon Howes, a housing planner in the county’s community development department, said, “There’s not a lot of large parcels left in the county” to build housing. 

Commissioner Josh Blanchard said in many mountain resort areas, “redevelopment is really what’s happening” to overcome the challenge of land availability. 

On the issue of income requirements, Gardner recommended increasing the income range for workforce units such as deed-restricted homes. With market-rate housing reaching into the millions, Gardner said the gap between that and workforce housing “is just expanding.” 

To help finance workforce housing projects, local governments usually pursue federal tax credits. But those subsidies are only accessible if the project is restricted to tenants making a certain amount relative to the area’s median income. 

For example, the Village at Wintergreen apartments in Keystone, a county-led project, feature units restricted to residents making between 30% and 60% of the median income while others are available up to 100%.Federal tax credits were used to fund the apartments that are capped at 60%. 

According to recently revised 2023 figures, that translates to an annual income between $23,280 and $77,600 for an individual. For a family of four, the spectrum would be between $33,240 and $110,800.

Gardner said the county has been investing in housing projects capped at 200% of the median income, such as deed-restricted homes. But even at that higher amount, the “gap between deed-restricted housing and market-rate housing is so large,” said Commissioner Tamara Pogue. 

It’s why residents can find themselves stuck in workforce housing, unable to secure a market-rate home. Officials have labeled this conundrum the “missing middle” and have voiced a need to offer more housing at higher area median income levels. 

Commissioners were unsure about another proposal that would mandate affordable units in new residential developments. Known as an inclusionary housing ordinance, the local law requires developers to include a certain amount of income-based housing for new builds or pay a fee if they do not. 

Several Front Range and Denver metro communities have passed such a proposal, but county officials said they may be challenged to implement it in the High Country. 

“I would like us to probably dig further into inclusionary zoning for commercial pieces,” said Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence, adding it could be used to add housing to mixed-use developments. 

While officials remained interested in exploring such an ordinance, they also said efforts to cut red tape on projects could be a quicker way to bring more housing to the community. In particular, officials expressed a desire to expand use by right and non-traditional standards for housing. 

“I do think we have a sort of unstated goal of trying to increase private development interests in affordable housing in Summit County,” Pogue said. “And both of those are a key part of that.”