Chaffee planning commission schedules Oct. 6 work session on housing needs

Planning staff told the Chaffee County Planning Commission that a resumed presentation series on housing affordability will include a work session at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Buena Vista, where staff and the Chaffee Housing Authority will review an updated housing-needs assessment. Miles, the staff member leading the update, said the final draft of the assessment should be ready in late September and will be circulated in advance of the Oct. 6 session.

The staff preview included a countywide “broad brush” target — "we need to build 1,000 houses," Miles said — and a municipal breakdown presented as initial numbers: Salida (about 626 units), Buena Vista (about 300) and Poncha Springs (about 100). Miles said the assessment will clarify how many units must be restricted by AMI levels and what the county’s role can be in supporting development, including funding and code incentives. "Let's rely on the data to figure out what the next steps are," Miles said.