Summit County officials are planning to add 10 housing units to a multimillion-dollar transit facility for the Summit Stage, which could break ground as soon as next fall. 

The roughly 60,000-square-foot center, set to be built near the town of Frisco, will house the Stage’s electric vehicle fleet and represents the single-largest infusion of federal dollars the county has ever seen. A $34.7 million federal grant is paying for the bulk of the project, which is estimated to cost about $48.1 million in total. 

The housing component will eat up a chunk of the remaining costs, which will need to come from county funds or possibly additional grants. Officials are proposing 10 units above the main floor that will be targeted to Summit Stage staff, though other county department staff could also be eligible for the housing. 

“Some of the benefits would be housing for essential employees, (a) recruiting tool for future decades of growth and we do feel like we’re adding housing inventory to Summit County as opposed to using or repurposing,” said Transit Director Chris Lubbers during a Dec. 19 Summit Board of County Commissioners meeting. 

Officials presented a design for 10 single-bedroom or studio units that could be connected in the case of families. Lubbers called the units “dignified in their design” and as “transit-oriented as any development possibly could be.”

The development would itself serve as a bus stop, with the facility located along Peak One Drive near the Summit County Commons building, which includes services like the Department of Motor Vehicles and library. 

It would also be across the road from recreation areas leading to the Frisco Bay Marina, said Chris Guarino, a Summit School District board member and principal with Artaic Group, the project’s developer. 

Guarino added the project is about 50% of the way through design and is “moving quickly.” 

“We are all here chomping at the bit to go, and truly there’s just some critical pinch points,” he said. 

Officials stressed that they have incorporated livability in their designs, with units that have mountain views, sound resistance and access from an entrance and exit point that is different from the one for the main facility. 

Initially, they proposed nine units and a common space area. But during the Dec. 19 meeting, commissioners signaled they were more in favor of adding another unit instead of a common area. 

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The cost of adding housing is estimated to be between $4.5 million and $5 million. The housing won’t be covered by the federal funding, which is specifically for clean energy transit projects. But by adding another unit, officials said the cost per unit is expected to go down. 

“I think our best opportunity for grant funding (for housing) is as transit-oriented design,” said Commissioner Tamara Pogue. “No. 1, the less expensive it becomes, but, two, the more appealing this project will be to state grant funding.” 

Pogue added she would like to see other outdoor amenities, such as a dog park, incorporated into the design. 

Commissioner Nina Waters praised the project for being an “out-of-the-box housing solution” and agreed that there should be more outdoor amenities. 

“If we are going to go towards the 10 units, which I also agree with, then we have to give these people access to something else,” Waters said. “I think Summit County residents really want more access to the outdoors, so if we can make that a high priority then that’s something I also agree with.” 

If planning remains on track and ground breaks in fall 2024, officials said they believe the facility may be completed by summer 2026.