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Aspen council supports staff study of "rightsizing" incentives to free workforce housing
Summary
Council members backed directing staff and APHA to develop pilot options—including buy‑downs or rightsizing incentives—to free larger deed‑restricted units, discussing a $100,000‑per‑bedroom starting point and legal constraints; staff said scenarios will be developed for fall or early winter return.
Council members spent a significant portion of the Sept. 9 work session debating a rightsizing strategy intended to free up larger deed-restricted housing for the local workforce.
Bill urged a pilot program with earmarked dollars to incentivize occupants to downsize, suggesting "$100,000 per bedroom" as a starting discussion figure. He described a possible structure in which a household that frees two bedrooms could receive a financial incentive and the city or APHA would facilitate re‑use of the unit. "If someone wants to downsize their unit or move out of the program entirely, we can create a pilot program with a certain amount of dollars, earmarked towards that pilot program," he said.
APHA and city staff cautioned that legal and administrative hurdles remain: staff reported the APHA attorney identified equal-protection concerns and that the policy analyst is developing buy‑down and buy‑out scenarios for return to the board and council. Council members generally supported advancing the idea and asked staff to produce concrete scenarios, including cost estimates and operational details, with the goal of returning recommendations in the coming months.
No final policy was adopted at the work session; council directed staff and APHA to develop options and legal analysis for a pilot or buy‑down program and to report back. The council discussion emphasized the need for a development‑neutral approach that can be implemented without creating procedural barriers for existing occupants.
