STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Developer Paul Brinkman and Hayden Granary LLC broke ground last week on the Salt Shed Flats — a project aimed at bringing more residential housing to Hayden.

“They used to store salt and ice in this building,” Brinkman said. “We are taking that building, adding a little bit to the footprint and then doing four apartments.”

Brinkman said the final use of the 415-square-foot units has not been determined, but he said smaller, efficiency rental units are in high demand and there is limited supply in the area. He said the building’s units could end up being a combination of long-term and nightly rentals.

If things go smoothly, Brinkman hopes the units, which will be located between Wild Goose Coffee at the Granary and the Yampa Valley Brewing Co. on the southwest corner of the Hayden Granary parcel, will be completed midsummer.

“July is the goal right now,” Brinkman said. “All four of them will come online at the same time.”

The building that is being renovated has been used as storage for more than a decade. Brinkman said using the site to create housing makes good sense and could help attract new residents and visitors to Hayden.

“At the end of the day, we may use all four units for nightly rentals, ” Brinkman said. “But we are probably going to do a combination of long-term and short-term rentals. We will see once we get down the road a little bit further.”

Hayden Town Manager Mathew Mendisco said the zoning in that area would allow either use. He said Brinkman will need to determine that use before he gets his certificate of occupancy, and that if it is used for nightly rentals, it will be subject to sales and lodging taxes.

No matter the final use, Brinkman said project will reflect the historic nature of the Granary District while continuing to renovate the Hayden Granary site into a vibrant asset for the community.

Mendisco is excited to see how the project turns out.

“I think it’s been fantastic, just like many of the other developments that have happened in Hayden,” Mendisco said. “Dealing with Paul Brickman, he seems to always have the community in mind when he is proposing developments and that just enhances the opportunity.”

This is not Brinkman’s first investment in the historic Granary District or Hayden.

In 2019, he purchased Hayden Village Townhomes, a development that includes 10 prefabricated tiny homes. He also is a partner with Tammie and Patrick Delaney in Hayden Granary, LLC, and is the co-owner of Yampa Valley Brewing Co., which opened a new tap house in Hayden late last August.

“It actually had an apartment up above, so when we put the brewery in that building, we remodeled and furnished the upper level,” Brinkman said “So it’s a two bedroom Airbnb that’s done real well.”

Brinkman said this project is part of a longer-term vision he has for the area that also includes more nightly rentals and additional food and beverage options.

“We’re looking at a couple other nightly concepts that are coming a little bit later this year,” Brinkman said. “Whether that’s kind of recreational vehicle, Airstream nightly rentals … or stagecoach or old shepherd’s wagons that could be used for nightly rentals.”