Redistricting commissions to visit Summit County on Saturday to collect public comment

 

The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions are visiting Summit County Saturday, July 31, to give Summit County residents a chance to voice their opinions on the proposals for redrawn congressional and legislative districts.

The event begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Summit County Community and Senior Center located at 83 Nancy’s Place in Frisco. Community members can also listen or watch via Zoom. This hearing is one of 32 scheduled across the state.

Those wishing to testify and comment must register, and individuals speaking in person can do so either online or at the event. Those wishing to speak via Zoom must register in advance by visiting the . Under the “Public Engagement” tab, attendees should click on “Speak to the Commissioners” then “Sign up to Speak.”

Click here to register

Housing investors went on spending spree in second quarter

 

Investors showed no fear of rising home prices in the second quarter, going on a spending spree not seen in the sector in more than 20 years.

As home prices and rents appreciated, housing investors poured $49 billion into acquisitions during the second quarter. Investors were responsible for buying almost 68,000 homes, up more than 10,000 from the previous quarter, according to Redfin data reported by Bloomberg News.

The Redfin report, including multifamily buildings, condos and single-family homes, found purchases from investors represented 16 percent of all home sales during the quarter.

Read the full story here

Some Colorado mountain towns say they can’t handle any more tourists amid labor, housing crises

Crested Butte has pulled its summer ads as businesses struggle to accommodate crowds. A Telluride councilwoman wants to redirect tourism funding toward housing. The Colorado Tourism Office is without a leader. Chaffee County commissioners rejected a 20,000-person annual music festival.

Angst over tourism is growing as mountain communities emerge from crowd-restricting pandemic closures. Overlapping waves of visitors and new residents are amplifying an unprecedented labor shortage and housing crunch. And with that seasonal distress comes a growing call to silence the statewide promotion of Colorado as a vacation wonderland. 

“It’s a carrying capacity issue,” said Geneva Shaunette, a Telluride town council member who wants to redirect $2 million a year to workforce housing from tourism-campaign spending. “With the drastic situation we are experiencing with housing and a lack of employees we simply cannot handle that many people. We need to ease off the gas of marketing. Telluride already is on the map. The whole ‘Come to Telluride because how great it is,’ we physically can’t handle that anymore. And we have many better and more important things to spend our money on.”

Tourism is in the crosshairs in mountain towns in Colorado while state economic development champions are offering a total of $10 million to organizers who bring groups and events to the state.

Read the full story here

Breckenridge Creative Arts to present Kenzie Sitterud’s ‘Interactions with Time’

Artist Kenzie Sitterud is coming to Breckenridge Creative Arts’ Old Masonic Hall for the first time. The show “Interactions with Time” presents a series of geometric works at the gallery, 136 S. Main St., Breckenridge, that were created during the coronavirus pandemic.

Denver-based Sitterud usually works in sculpture but shifted to other mediums to reflect awareness of time with activity forced indoors.

The bulk of the show consists of seven acrylic paintings mixed with primary colors and neons. The other works in the collection include a series of narrative-based photographs, a performance video and a wooden, kinetic sculpture.

The show runs from Tuesday, July 27, through Sept. 5. Sitterud will give a talk at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Old Masonic Hall.

Visit:  BreckCreate.org

Dillon to move forward with plastic bag ban Aug. 1 despite legal concerns

 

 #Dillon #Colorado

It’s time for Dillon residents and visitors to get their reusable bags ready.

The town of Dillon will push forward with its disposable plastic bag ban next month despite some concerns about how the town’s new regulations will work with statewide fees and bans on the way in the coming years.

In November 2020, Dillon joined Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and other municipalities across Colorado in taking a stand against single-use plastic bags and other disposable items. Dillon’s ordinance will go into effect Aug. 1 and includes an outright ban on most businesses and restaurants providing disposable plastic bags and polystyrene containers, like Styrofoam, to customers.

On July 6, less than a month before Dillon’s ordinance was set to take effect, Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 21-1162into law. Otherwise known as the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, the law prohibits most retailers and restaurants from providing single-use plastic bags and polystyrene containers beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

The state’s new law will begin to phase out the products over time. Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, stores can provide only recycled paper or single-use plastic bags to customers if they charge a 10-cent fee, or a higher fee if towns decide to implement them.

The new law also stipulates that local governments can enact their own regulations on bags and containers that are as strict or stricter than the state’s after July 1, 2024, though, it’s unclear whether towns and cities are legally able to implement their own bans before then.

Fourth Street Crossing moving forward with grand openings to come this fall

 

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#Silverthorne #Colorado

Fourth Street Crossing is slowly but surely coming together with the parking garage open and the Bluebird Market and Indigo Hotel expected to open this fall.

As Fourth Street Crossing is bringing the town of Silverthorne’s dream of a downtown area to life, the town also expects more development of the areas surrounding the project on Adams Avenue. The town owns some of the surrounding land and will look into moving its public works campus to make room for more downtown activity.

Among other improvements, the roads around the development now have street parking and curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

Silverthorne Town Manager Ryan Hyland and Assistant Town Manager Mark Leidal said adding this infrastructure furthers the downtown feel the town is looking to create. They want the businesses in and surrounding Fourth Street Crossing to be easily accessible to pedestrians.

“What we desperately needed is what we have now and what will continue expanding out,” Hyland said. “The pedestrian is your primary focus in the downtown; auto is something you accommodate.”

Shipping container hotel in Florence sparks new ideas for Colorado housing

#Colorado

Past downtown’s hip coffee shop and brewery, across the street from a gravel pit and next door to a long abandoned house, a Lego-like solution to Colorado’s housing crisis is taking shape.

“Everything you see in here was recycled or it can be recycled,” said Wyatt Reed, swinging open the doors to a 40-foot shipping container. 

Inside the metal box is a plush home, with insulated walls, re-used cabinets, trim from local barns, salvaged doors, decorative tiles made from melted down garden plant containers and lockers from the high school. Reed and his business partner, Barna Kasa, buy the shipping containers for about $4,000 and convert them into homes. Their business plan calls for eventually selling the move-in-ready homes for $50,000, and a bit more for units that ship inside the container and are assembled on top, offering nearly two-times the space. 

“I call it Ikea meets Uber for homebuilding,” said Reed, leaning back on the railing of his rooftop patio.

https://coloradosun.com/2021/06/30/florence-shipping-container-affordable-housing-emergent-campus/

Mortgage Rates Experience ‘Summer Swoon’ as Fed Maintains Status Quo

 

#Colorado

Benchmark mortgage rates continued their downward trajectory over the past week, following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s indications to lawmakers that the central bank wasn’t changing up its strategy anytime soon.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.88% for the week ending July 15, down two basis points from the previous week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Since peaking at 3.18% in April, the rate on the 30-year mortgage has now fallen 30 basis points, or nearly one-third of 1%.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased two basis points to an average of 2.22%, while the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage fell by five basis points to an average of 2.47%.

“The summer swoon in mortgage rates continues as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell for the third consecutive week,” Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater said in the report. “While this decline is not large, it provides modest relief to borrowers who are purchasing in a market with strong home appreciation and scant inventory.”

Most Home Buyers Happy Even With Higher Home Prices

 “Given the challenges of the year, it is surprising how many recent homeowners are happy with their purchase,” says Realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu. “We’ve had a very competitive housing market this year, characterized by very few homes for sale, steeply rising prices, and bidding wars. So it’s good to hear that the majority of buyers feel good about their decision to buy a home this year.”

With home prices at an all-time high and bidding wars more common, it begs the question: are buyers happy even if they spent well over asking price? Or do they fear they bought too high or took the risk of greater future expenses?

Stories of regret could emerge, but not this time. According to a recent Realtor.com® survey, most who closed on a home during the pandemic don’t feel buyer’s remorse.

In fact, nearly 75% of those who bought homes during the COVID-19 shutdown are happy with their purchase.

About 1,000 people who purchased homes within the past 12 months participated in the survey, which was conducted by Realtor.com between March 26 and April 7. Nearly 71% of those surveyed say buying was a good decision and 75% say their new home is a good fit for their families.

The only thing they would have changed is that many homebuyers said they wish they had moved sooner while more homes were for sale and fewer buyers were competing.

“Given the challenges of the year, it is surprising how many recent homeowners are happy with their purchase,” says Realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu. “We’ve had a very competitive housing market this year, characterized by very few homes for sale, steeply rising prices, and bidding wars. So it’s good to hear that the majority of buyers feel good about their decision to buy a home this year.”

Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of July 12

 

Mabel

The following animals are available for adoption at the Summit County Animal Shelter. Call the shelter at 970-668-3230 with questions.

Cats

• AURIEL, 1 year 1 month, domestic mediumhair, white and brown tabby, spayed female
• AVATAR, 9 years, domestic shorthair, white and tan, neutered male
• DARTH, 7 years, domestic longhair, black, neutered male
• DUKE, 14 years, Himalayan, chocolate point, neutered male
• ELLA, 4 years, domestic shorthair, gray tabby, spayed female
• MABEL, 3 years, domestic shorthair, calico, spayed female
• MINNIE, 14 weeks, domestic mediumhair, gray and white, spayed female
• PHOEBE, 3 years, domestic shorthair, black, spayed female
• SASSY, 12 years, domestic longhair, tortoiseshell, spayed female
• TANGIE, 12 years, domestic shorthair, gray, neutered male
• VIOLET, 14 weeks, domestic mediumhair, gray and white, spayed female

Dogs

• ARIES, 5 years, American bulldog mix, white and black, neutered male
• AURORA, 6 years, Alaskan husky mix, black and white, spayed female
• BEALS, 4 years, Belgian Malinois, black and tan, spayed female
• CHIPPER, 1 year 2 months, border collie mix, tricolor, neutered male
• EILEEN, 4 years, German shepherd mix, tan and black, spayed female
• FAITH, 3 years, Labrador retriever mix, black and white, spayed female
• FRIDA, 4 years, rough-coated collie and German shepherd mix, black and brown, spayed female
• GIDGET, 1 year 4 months, toy fox terrier, tan and white, spayed female
• HURRICANE, 1 year 4 months, Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, black, neutered male
• IZZI, 5 years, German shepherd mix, black and tan, spayed female
• KARL, 1 year, German shepherd, black and brown, neutered male
• KONA, 1 year 7 months, Australian cattle dog mix, blue and white merle, spayed female
• MELANIE, 1 year 1 month, smooth-coated fox terrier and smooth-coated Chihuahua mix, tricolor, spayed female
• SHILOH, 1 year 7 months, Labrador retriever mix, black and white, neutered male
• TIPSY, 1 year 10 months, Anatolian shepherd mix, tan and black, spayed female
• TONTO, 2 years, Akita mix, yellow, neutered male

Guinea pigs

• ALMOND, 5 days, orange and white, unknown gender
• APPLE BUTTER, 7 months, orange and white, unaltered female
• CASHEW, 5 days, orange and white, unknown gender
• JELLY, 7 months, orange and white, unaltered female
• MACADAMIA, 5 days, orange and white, unknown gender
• PEANUT BUTTER, 1 year 1 month, orange and white, unaltered female
• PISTACHIO, 5 days, orange and white, unknown gender
• SUNFLOWER, 5 days, orange and white, unknown gender

Plummeting Lumber Prices Little Help to Builders

 

The price of framing lumber has plunged about 50% over the last seven weeks, offering up a hopeful sign that skyrocketing building costs would ease. However, builders say that the prices they pay have only declined by a fraction of that percentage.

The disconnect in pricing has always existed in the lumber supply chain. It can still be a “long lag time” before the full price reductions come to builders, the National Association of Home Builders reports.

“As the price declines began grabbing headlines, the price of lumber packages quoted to builders held at record highs,” NAHB economist David Logan writes on the association’s blog, Eye on Housing. “This dynamic is primarily due to dealers’ inventory carrying costs and potentially large differences between the price at which inventory is bought and sold.”

So, when will lower prices reach the builders and ultimately new-home buyers? The answer is unclear, but builders say more price drops in lumber may be needed. “Prices must fall for long enough to materially lower a supplier’s average costs after a run-up,” the association blog notes. “Depending on the rate and consistency of price decreases and whether prices have stabilized at the lower level, it may take a few weeks to a couple of months for builders to see price relief on the order initially reported in the futures or cash markets.”

Lone Tree man skis 12.4 million vertical feet this winter at Vail Resorts

 

A Lone Tree man and part-time Breckenridge resident recorded 12.4 million vertical feet in 188 days this winter on the Vail Resorts EpicMix application.

The achievement by 62-year-old Brad Blacketor of Lone Tree equated to an average of 66,000 vertical feet of skiing per day.

“During ski season I blow off everything,” he said.

Blacketor’s total chairlift rides from Keystone Resort’s Nov. 6 opening day to his final day on snow at Breckenridge Ski Resort on May 16 are astounding: Nearly 40 lift rides each day on hill for a grand total of 7,363 for the season.

“None of us are as fast as him,” Blacketor’s skiing pal Tom Fralich said. Fralich himself skied 5.6 million vertical feet in 124 days this winter.

“He’s technically very good at skiing bumps and trees and all kinds of stuff,” Fralich, a part-time Breckenridge resident from Fort Collins, continued. “He can ski some of the hardest bump runs in Colorado top to bottom without stopping at the very end of the day — which is not something I can do. Sometimes we feel guilty that we are holding him back. He doesn’t feel too bad about splitting off when he knows it’s better for his vertical.”

Blacketor’s total of 12,421,058 vertical feet is more than 2 million more vertical feet than his 2018 season, the last full season he skied. In 2020, Blacketor said he was on pace to ski 13 million feet before the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down ski resorts in mid-March.

Blacketor is a native of northern Indiana who typically remains to himself on the hill and hasn’t promoted his accomplishments up to this point. He learned to ski when he moved to Colorado after college in the early 1980s.

Tom Fralich, left, and Brad Blacketor take one of many chairlift rides together during their more than 17 million combined vertical feet skiing at Vail Resorts mountains this past winter.
Photo from Brad Blacketor

Breckenridge Grand Vacations development to go through 3rd preliminary hearing

 

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Breckenridge Grand Vacations will go to a third preliminary hearing for the North Gondola and Gold Rush lot master plan after the Breckenridge Planning Commission had more questions and concerns about the development.

Despite concerns, commissioners were insistent that they support the project and wouldn’t want any group other than Breckenridge Grand Vacations to take it on because it will have such a large impact on the community.

The biggest concern from the commissioners was pedestrian safety and traffic interruptions on North Park Avenue. Several commissioners were skeptical of the estimation that 95% of folks would use the gondola to cross the street instead of walking.

Friends of the Dillon Ranger District offers volunteer opportunities

#Colorado

Throughout the next week, residents will have the opportunity to volunteer  with the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District.

 The district is helping the U.S. Forest Service with maintenance from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, on the Frey Gulch Trail. Volunteers will help finish the newly constructed Powerhair Trail, which is part of the Tenderfoot Mountain/Frey Gulch motorized trail system.

Another opportunity is available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 8, when volunteers will remove barbed wire fencing adjacent to Interstate 70. Fences are being removed to prepare for construction of a new wildlife fence between Silverthorne and Frisco.

Volunteers must be 16 years old to help with the barbed wire removal, and long pants and long sleeves are required.

Register and sign a 2021 waiver

Breckenridge Fourth of July parade makes triumphant return

 

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After a year with few in-person festivities, the Breckenridge Fourth of July parade made its comeback this year with hundreds of spectators lining Main Street to celebrate the holiday.

The Firecracker 50 mountain bike race kicked off the event, followed by floats from front-line workers and local community organizations marching down Main Street from French Street to Park Avenue.

Members of the Boy Scouts marched while holding a large American flag, while local firefighters, police and other first responders honked their horns in front of them. Leading the Boy Scouts were two boys holding a banner that read, “In celebration of all we missed and in anticipation of what’s to come. Happy Independence Day.”

Summit and Park county hotels become workforce housing

 

 #Frisco #Colorado

Summit County’s lack of workforce housing is an issue that cannot be solved overnight, and one that will take multiple partners and solutions to fix. Local leaders and business owners continue to identify potential short- and long-term strategies, and one of those is turning hotel spaces into long-term rentals.

This isn’t a new concept in the region. In nearby Eagle County, a hotel was converted into an apartment complex in 2018. Called The House, the property has 54 studio units that have about 300 square feet of space, including a living area, bathroom and kitchenette, according to the property’s website

Similar concepts are now making their way to Summit County.

County turned landlord

During a Summit Board of County Commissioners work session meeting June 15, Summit County Housing Director Jason Dietz outlined multiple strategies the county could use to help mitigate the affordable housing shortage, one of which included working with Alpine Inn in Frisco to lease its units.

Isabel Rawson is a manager of the Alpine Inn, which is owned by her father. Rawson said she and her father were aware of the critical housing need in the community and had already been thinking about ways they could use their property to help be part of the solution.

The two partnered with Summit County to nail down a one-year lease agreement, which Rawson said will work well for both parties.

“We’re longtime locals, so we know what a big local housing issue we have here in the county, and we saw this as an opportunity where we came to great terms,” Rawson said. “It’s going to work wonderfully for both parties and kind of also give back to the community, which is so super important.”

Dillon Reservoir fills to 100% capacity

 

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Dillon Reservoir is now 100% full, according to Denver Water, which manages the reservoir.

Nathan Elder, manager of water supply for Denver Water, said it’s normal for the reservoir to be full this time of year, but he noted that the reason it’s full despite an ongoing drought is because the water is carefully managed, and much less water was released from the reservoir to the Blue River than in an average year.

“This year, it’s been dryer than normal, so it did fill a little bit slower, and we released much less out of the reservoir to the Blue River than we typically would to ensure that Dillon would fill this year,” Elder said.

Elder said this was a year where the reservoir started out lower than normal and less water flowed in from the melting snowpack.

Water from Dillon Reservoir flows into the Blue River and Robert’s Tunnel, Elder said, which carries water underneath the Continental Divide, making its way to the South Platte Basin, then to Denver Water treatment plants and finally to customers along the Front Range. The Blue River brings water to Green Mountain Reservoir and eventually to the Colorado River.