Re: May 24 Perspective essay.
Over the past 25 years, Breckenridge has focused on workforce housing, which strengthens community character, supports the local economy, and adds to our sustainability efforts. We’ve adopted housing strategies to ensure that there are opportunities for our workers to live in our community. As a result, Breckenridge leads resort communities where growth in occupied (primary) homes outpaces vacation homes.
In the 1990s, Breckenridge began avidly encouraging development of workforce housing. Today, we are proud to offer 750 workforce homes, which represent one-third of the area’s primary homes. Between 2000 and 2010, Breckenridge’s efforts:
• Helped address second homeowner pressures and increased local occupancy, especially “essential workers” (healthcare, emergency services, education and child care), resulting in an increase of occupied (primary) homes from 39 percent in 2000 to 52 percent in 2010;
• Decreased in-commuting by an estimated 100,000 vehicle miles each week, and
• Increased local expenditures by an estimated $15 million per year by increasing the number of year-round residents; and
• Provided locals with a variety of options that, overall, held their value better during the recession.
The town developed the Valley Brook Neighborhood, a thriving local’s neighborhood, which in 2012 received the prestigious Eagle Award for extraordinary accomplishments and outstanding leadership from the Housing NOW organization. While we’re honored, the reward is a stronger community, with people that live, work and play in Breckenridge.
Regarding “amenity migrants,” many of these folks serve on non-profit boards, teach at Colorado Mountain College, and volunteer for charitable organizations. One “migrant” serves on our Town Council for a whopping $800 per month.
Looking forward, Breckenridge has a variety of efforts to grow our workforce housing options, including acquiring free-market units and converting to workforce homes. We just broke ground on a $10 million affordable rental apartment project, are in the planning stages for collaborative projects with Summit County and Colorado Mountain College, and are investigating the possibilities with the Summit School District.
Consider Breckenridge’s history of “extractive industries” which turned our river beds upside down in the pursuit of gold, created a monoculture forest which has an inability to fend off the assault of the pine beetles, and basically created an unsustainable economy which has been supplanted by a sustainable tourist and recreation based economy. Is it perfect? No, but let’s not write Breckenridge “off as a loss.”
John Warner is mayor of Breckenridge.
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