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Staff housing, increased bus service among multiple Summit County transit projects slated for 2024

Officials hope to have Summit Stage employee housing units, universal 30-minute service by next year — among other priorities

Improved service times and increased access for the Summit Stage are among a laundry list of priorities being eyed for 2024.
Liz Copan/Summit Daily News archive

Several transit-related projects are gaining momentum in Summit County as officials hope to expand housing opportunities for Summit Stage employees and improve and expand bus services next year. 

During a Nov. 14 Summit Board of County Commissioners meeting, Transit Director Chris Lubbers updated county leaders on multiple initiatives heading into 2024. 

As transit levels are expected to be at an “all-time” high by spring, “The transit department has several high-value capital projects all moving forward without any major delays or obstacles,” Lubbers said. 



Those projects include a multimillion-dollar renovation of an existing housing structure in Dillon that officials hope to open to Summit Stage staff by May 2024. After purchasing a three-unit complex on Little Beaver Trail in Dillon in 2021, the county began transforming it into eight units that will house a total of 10 beds. With a $1.7 million purchase of the property, the project’s total hard costs are estimated to be around $3.8 million. 

“Now that we’re into the building, things are going very smoothly, very quickly,” Lubbers added. 



Once ready, the units will be reserved for current Summit Stage employees on a “first-come, first-served policy,” Lubbers said, adding that in the future the housing will be used as a recruitment tactic to hire new staff. 

An additional nine to 10 employee housing units are expected to open by 2026 once a sweeping $42 million transit center is complete. With the bulk of the funding, roughly $34 million, coming from federal funds, officials are hoping to break ground on the center in the spring. 


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Along with providing workforce housing, the facility will be the new hub for the county’s electric vehicle fleet. Lubbers said officials made “extra effort to try to increase and maximize the amount of housing atop that facility.” 

The units will consist of one-bedroom units and studios situated on the center’s top level. 

Commissioner Tamara Pogue asked Lubbers, “What percentage of our current stage employees would find this an appropriate configuration for their lifestyle?” She added that the units are “pretty much designed for one individual.” 

Lubbers said units can be connected, creating a “tandem studio” with two bedrooms at around 935 square feet.

“You do have the ability to house a family,” he said. “In attracting the talent that we need to grow, if somebody had a family, we would want to be able to accommodate that family.” 

Other initiatives include new bus stops and expedited services. 

The current bus stop located at Rasor Drive along U.S. Highway 6 is planned to be moved from east to west of the intersection to improve pedestrian access and safety. Work on that project is projected to begin in spring of 2024 and could cost around $250,000. 

“We’re not pleased with the timing, but we are pleased with the project,” Lubbers said, adding that concerns around wetlands and surrounding infrastructure have complicated the timeline. 

Robert Tann/Summit Daily News
Swan Meadow Village, a manufactured home neighborhood near Summit Cove, is pictured Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. County officials have plans to bring a bus stop to residents who’ve asked for Summit Stage services for years.
Robert Tann/Summit Daily News

Transit officials are also planning to build a bus stop at the Swan Meadow Village neighborhood near Summit Cove that will eventually support a new bus route. Residents in the historically Spanish-speaking neighborhood have long asked for services, something that has also been advocated for by Mountain Dreamers, the Frisco-based nonprofit that works to provide resources for county immigrants. 

Lubbers said he and his team plan to make that effort a high priority. Construction could be complete by October 2024, possibly. The cost is estimated to be potentially around $130,000, a figure that Lubbers previously told commissioners could double. 

A microtransit study currently underway could wrap by March of 2024. It seeks to gauge residents’ interest in an on-demand, ride-sharing service provided by the county.

With one community meeting related to the study already completed, Lubbers said there are plans to host a second. Pogue stressed the importance of ensuring access for Spanish speakers at that meeting, adding, “We want to make sure we have input” from a variety of neighborhoods. 

Finally, transit officials said they will be able to provide 30-minute Summit Stage service from Frisco to Copper on weekends for the 2023-24 winter schedule, which begins Sunday, Nov. 19. Commissioners had been pushing staff to increase service time wherever possible. But with an aging fleet, officials said the only option this season was to boost the Copper line. 

However, with plans to purchase four new electric and three diesel buses next year, Lubbers said he believes Summit Stage will be able to provide 30-minute service lines for all routes for the summer schedule, which begins April 21.  

Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence said while officials would have liked to offer 30-minute service elsewhere this winter, the Copper option represented “the path of least resistance in that it was available to us.” 

Lawrence said, “We’re not prioritizing one place over another,” but are working with what is “available to us.”


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