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Cortez seeks roughly $3 million in congressional earmark for 70‑unit 7th Street development; county asked to endorse
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Summary
Scott Baker of the City of Cortez requested a county letter endorsing a congressional directed spending request of about $3,000,000 for a 70‑unit housing project on a 14‑acre 7th Street parcel; the city said the developer would likely own/manage units and the project includes a public park.
Scott Baker, grants administrator for the City of Cortez, asked the Montezuma County commissioners to sign a letter of support for a congressional directed spending request to the offices of Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper aimed at securing roughly $3,000,000 for development of the 7th Street parcel in Cortez.
"What we're trying to do is see if we can secure 3,000,000, or something of that range, for the 7th Street parcel in Cortez," Baker said, describing years of prior scoping and planning for the 14‑acre site. He said the initial proposal envisions about 70 housing units occupying just under half the parcel, with a public park on the west side and an extension of Elm Street through the middle of the site.
Commissioners asked whether the city or developer would manage the property after construction. Baker said ownership and management would likely rest with the developer (agent Evergreen is currently working as the developer agent) and that the city has rehired a housing coordinator (Jen Lopez) and is using Project Moxie to support the effort. Commissioners requested follow‑up on what type of entity the developer is (nonprofit, private, etc.).
No formal county commitment was recorded at the workshop; Chair said the request would be considered and a decision would be made the following day.
The project, as described to the Board, remains in the planning and negotiation phase; the county's role would be endorsement of the city's congressional funding request, not project management.
