BASALT, Colo.—Basalt’s town manager is pledging to try to build an affordable housing project for people the town is evicting from a trailer park.
Mike Scanlon told some residents Monday night that he needs to get the backing of the town council for the project first. He also urged them to continue to participate in the process to make sure the project becomes a reality.
“I need you to be at meetings, and I need you to put your money in and be a part of the project,” he said.
He told the Aspen Daily News ( ) that the town would likely have to work with a non-profit group since many residents aren’t in the country legally and not eligible for federally-funded housing.
The town and a non-profit development corporation bought the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park in 2011. It sits in a 100-year flood plain. The town, at the confluence of the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork rivers, has been doing flood mitigation work there in preparation for a redevelopment project. It has been paying families between $15,000 and $22,000 to leave but residents, who now pay $650 a month to rent a plot of land in the park, say that’s not enough to remain in the community.
About 125 residents have already moved out. Those who remain say they want to stay in Basalt so they can keep their children in town schools.
Ralph Vazquez, the leader of a group representing residents, Workers for Justice and Diversity in Basalt, said Scanlon’s offer was a good start.
“But we will we keep pushing. We got this far by pushing. And we’ve been lied to before, so we need to see it on paper,” he said.
Until earlier this fall, a town ordinance required the replacement of affordable housing developments removed by redevelopment. The town council repealed the ordinance in September and instead said the town would offer cash payments instead to directly help those being forced out.
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Information from: Aspen Daily News,
