Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Affordable Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff outline progress on Illum, Deep Creek and Pathfinder housing projects; DOLA accepts regional needs assessment
Summary
Staff reported progress on three county housing projects (Illum, Deep Creek, Pathfinder), said DOLA accepted the regional housing needs assessment (preserving state funding priority), and described grant applications and upcoming milestones including a July 15 BOCC hearing and anticipated CHFA notice the week of July 6.
San Miguel County staff gave commissioners a quarter‑by‑quarter update June 17 on the county’s affordable‑housing work, reporting active design and procurement work on multiple projects and newly accepted planning documents that preserve state funding priority.
Housing staff said the Illum on‑call affordable‑housing project has finished design‑review steps and submitted a land‑use application tied to a lot‑line vacation; staff expects a Board of County Commissioners public hearing on Illum on July 15 and is working with a construction team to finalize guaranteed‑maximum‑price documents. The Deep Creek workforce‑housing planning project is underway: the county selected Caddis as the consultant and held a kickoff meeting; next steps include surveys and a late‑July design workshop. Pathfinder’s contractor for well testing (Valley Pump) has a contract in place; testing equipment is due late this month with tests expected in early July.
Staff also told the board that the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) accepted the county’s regional housing needs assessment, which maintains priority access to state funding. County staff summarized three grant tracks: local planning capacity funds (monthly reimbursements and an upcoming quarterly report due end of July), a housing planning grant to fund a consultant and a housing action plan (statutory deadline July 1, 2028), and a CHFA small‑scale technical assistance application (pre‑application submitted May 27 and refined after a June 8 discussion with CHFA). CHFA notification was estimated for the week of July 6; if awarded, funds would be used for site testing and feasibility work (aquifer testing, environmental assessment, design concepts).
Commissioners pressed staff on water‑supply analysis required by statute in some jurisdictions; county staff said San Miguel County falls below the population threshold that would trigger a mandatory statutory water‑supply requirement but that the county is voluntarily keeping water assessment on the radar. Commissioners suggested dusting off an earlier county water study and compiling updated snapshots of water availability to inform housing decisions.
Next steps: staff will return with GMP budget information, finalize RFPs for housing‑action‑plan consultants (targeted mid‑to‑late July), and report back on CHFA notification and test results for Pathfinder’s wells.
