Council OKs $150,000 for one Habitat "priority" at Carter project after funding debate

The Aspen City Council voted Sept. 30 to approve Resolution 099, authorizing $150,000 from the city's general housing fund to purchase a single "priority" at Habitat for Humanity's Carter (L3) redevelopment in Glenwood Springs. The priority gives the holder front‑of‑line access to the next available deed‑restricted unit at the project.

Liz Axberg, the city's housing policy analyst, explained the request was offered by Habitat to support regional housing efforts and noted the Carter is an 88‑unit conversion. Darla Calloway and Jason Traub of Habitat described the priority model: purchasers secure the right to buy the next available unit, priorities can be resold at purchase price, and the project targets a range of incomes (roughly 80–150% AMI), with a mix of studio and one‑bedroom units. Habitat reported 8 closed sales and 8 pending sales to date and said priorities protect resident occupancy and HOA stability.

Council discussion centered on geography and fund source. Several councilors questioned whether funding a priority in Glenwood Springs best serves Aspen workers who prefer to live closer to town; others said the regional approach was valuable given the valley's housing shortages. Councilor Bill moved to approve the resolution but to source the $150,000 from the City of Aspen employee housing fund and limit the priority to city employees; that motion failed on roll call (Councilors Benedetti and Doyle voted No; Councilors Guth and Rose voted Yes; Mayor Richards voted No). A subsequent motion to approve the request using the general housing fund passed unanimously.

Councilors and staff noted options for administration: the priority could be promoted to Aspen residents or employees via APHA or a lottery, and staff flagged tradeoffs between employee‑only control (easier to monitor) versus a broader community priority (bigger beneficiary pool). Staff recommended the general housing fund for flexibility; some councilors favored a pilot approach (one priority) to evaluate outcomes.

The resolution directs staff and Habitat to finalize the memorandum of understanding and for the city to use $150,000 of the general housing fund to acquire one priority at the Carter. Council framed the action as regional support for affordable homeownership and a pilot that could inform future investments.

Next steps: staff will finalize the MOU with Habitat and return any administrative details needed to execute the priority purchase.