ASPEN, Colo.—The Aspen Skiing Co. wants to more than double its employee housing in the next few years and is adding to its stock with a renovated hotel and an apartment building in El Jebel.
The ski company employs more than 3,000 people in the winter and has housing for 250 of its workers. An ongoing issue is a scarcity of affordable housing for workers.
The company hopes to finish renovating a former hotel in Aspen by December. That will add 56 beds.
“As beds have become more expensive and more precious, we’ve ramped up the efforts,” said Jim Laing, the company’s human resources director.
In July, the ski company bought the Sopris View apartment building, which has 62 two-bedroom units. Current residents of the complex in El Jebel, 22 miles northwest of Aspen, can stay in their apartments until July.
Area residents criticized Aspen Skiing’s purchase of the apartment building because it displaces locals. Company officials have said finding housing for its employees relieves pressure on the rest of the market.
The company also plans to build a new housing complex for 125 people in Snowmass. Construction could start next year and be ready for tenants by the 2008-09 ski season.
