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Show Other Ski Areas Offer Opinions On Solving Housing Problems Editor's Note: This is the concluding story in a two-part series concerning the methods being used by other ski resort areas to deal with the housing shortages generated by service-oriented economies and skyrocketing real estate prices. VAIL Of all the western ski towns contacted by the Record, the city of Vail has the most active program for dealing with its housing shortage, attacking the problem both by legislation and by active intervention in the housing market. Much of the activity has occured in the past year, following the conversion of 120 apartment units, which had been serving as long-term rental, to time-share condominiums. condomin-iums. "That's when it really hit the fan," said Allen Gerstenberger, director of Vail's community development department, who told the Record: "the people who lived in those units really made a lot of noise. ..at that point, the council had to respond to the pressure." The City council responded by forming a housing task force to document the problem and propose alternative solutions. Documenting the shortage wasn't difficult, noted Gerstenberger, Gersten-berger, who observed: "A study showed five years ago there were ten apartments listed for each job in the newspaper; this year, at one point there were 47 jobs for every apartment." The results of the housing crunch have been just as obvious, with the salaries of maids going to $8.00hr. while the cost of what housing is left has jumped to about $300 per bedroom. tions." Gerstenberger admitted, however, that the ordinance might be on "shaky legal ground," saying it had yet to be tested in court. Another legislative step Vail is considering is an ordinance, now in draft form, which would require any project that generates gener-ates the jobs for 10 or more employees would also have to provide a certain amount of employee housing. "We feel pretty comfortable with this one," stated Gerstenberger, Gersten-berger, who said the prospective prospec-tive ordinance would treat the housing demand created by a commercial development as an impact on the town. "Just like when you build more commercial space you create a parking demand, if you create more jobs you're creating a housing demand," explained the planner. Another ordinance now under the consideration by the town would allow "density bonuses" for developers who provide long-term housing. Besides legislation, Vail is also moving to create more moderate income and employee housing. Noting that one of the problems cited by the Vail housing study was that the middle income were being driven out of town by the high cost of housing, the planner said the city was negotiating with a developer to build up to 156 units that would be sold as residential housing. Net . worth and time in Vail would determine who was eligible to buy the units, expected to cost between $50,000 and $90,000. According to Gerstenberger, the citV WOllM PYPrricp rontml not necessarily full-time residents resi-dents of Vail. The planner said one of the options under consideration was a joint project with Vail Associates, operator of the ski resort. Under the plan, the resort company would agree to build 100 employee housing units on land now occupied by a parking lot adjacent to the ski area. In return, the city would agree to construct an 850 car parking structure to be financed by bonds issued by the city. In the meantime, the city has obtained a federal grant to operate a busing system, much of which serves the county outside ot Vail. The system began this summer sum-mer and Gerstenberger said one of the main objectives of the program was to provide transportation trans-portation of employees from outlying towns to work in Vail. With hindsight, Gerstenber-ber Gerstenber-ber said all of these measures are coming late in the game: "We've waited too long, until we had a crisis." JACKSON HOLE In contrast to Vail, the government of Jackson Hole is only in the early stages of dealing with housing concerns. According to Dan Cowee, administrator of planning services ser-vices for Teton County, a housing committee has been created and an initial study is nearing completion. That study, he told the Record, would probably confirm con-firm what was already obvious. "The housing situation here is really something. ..When employers interview somebody, the first thing they ask is whether the person has a place The first question employers ask you here is whether or not you have a place to stay," said Gerstenberger, who stated some employers have restored to buying mobile homes outside of town to provide housing for their staffs. The planner also said that, like Park City, the increasing condominiumization of former apartments has been a contributor contribu-tor to the housing shortage. City government, said Gerstenberger, Ger-stenberger, had taken a "gutsey" approach to the problem, passing an "emergency "emer-gency measure" which prohibits prohi-bits condominiumization of projects which are considered long term housing, without the council's permission. "What we've done is to treat condominiumization as a subdivision, sub-division, requiring them to go through the subdivision regula- over the resale price of the units, to prevent them from being bought and sold for large profits. To enable middle-income residents to buy the units the city is considering the issue of about $10-million in revenue bonds to create a "mortgage pool" to help people finance the purchase of the units at a lower interest rate, with up to 95 percent financing. Gerstenberger said the city has already rezoned about nine acres as a special development district for the project. It is anticipated that a private developer will build and sell the units. The city is also moving to solve the other major problem found by the housing committee; commit-tee; that of little housing for seasonal employees, which are to live. "If they don't, they say come back and see me when you do," observed Cowee, who said some businesses have been forced to build employee housing in order to obtain help. Like other areas, the planner said Jackson also is concerned about the increasing trend toward condominiumization of former rental housing. "A lotof contractors have been putting up apartments which have been converted to condo's, pulling them out of the market." But the planner stated, unlike Vail, government has taken a hands-off attitude toward condominiumization. con-dominiumization. "We don't tell them yes or no, the planning commission doesn't care if a person is Please turn to Pg. 5A More housing Continued from Pg. 2A paying rent or paying a morigage," he said. Cowee also noted that the city or county isn't interested in gelling into the housing business busi-ness at this lime. "They feel the local government govern-ment role is not to go out and develop land; at this lime we really don't want to gel involved wilh a housing authority." But the planner also said that altitude may change in the future: "If thai (government intervention) becomes the bottom line, we might have to pursue ii." |