The Steamboat Springs School District is making progress on a $10 million workforce housing project near Sleeping Giant School, aiming to provide affordable rental units for staff who spend disproportionately large amounts of their income on housing.

After issuing a request for proposals earlier this year, a nine-member committee selected Rural Homes, a nonprofit developer led by Paul Major, to develop the district-owned parcel into an approximately $10 million workforce housing project for school staff to address issues of housing affordability and teacher retention. 

At Monday’s school board business meeting, Superintendent Celine Wicks presented the latest results of a staff housing survey — of which over 70% of respondents stated a preference for affordable rentals — to inform potential pricing and layout configurations for the development.

According to the survey results, said Wicks, just over 40% of respondents currently spend 40-49% of their take-home pay on rent, and another 28.8% pay half or more, a severe strain that underscores the need for affordable alternatives. 

Regarding price preferences for the Sleeping Giant townhomes, 46.2% of respondents indicated a willingness to pay between 30-39% of their income on rent, with nearly a third of respondents finding rents from $1,501 to $2,000 reasonable. 

Smaller percentages of respondents prioritized both higher and lower rent brackets — $2,000-2,500, $1,000-$1,500 or under $1,000 — reflecting diverse financial circumstances among district staff.

Among those who responded to the survey, just over 40% were members of two-person households, nearly 20% lived in three-person households, while approximately 23% represented single-person households.

Survey respondents also emphasized practical living features needed in Steamboat’s climate. The top requested amenity was garages or storage sheds for winter gear, followed closely by pet-friendly policies, which 73.1% demanded. 

While the 2.5-acre development was originally slated to be 22 townhome-style units — 10 for rent, 12 for sale — the district is now eyeing 21 affordable rentals, all but one of which would include a garage, with the hope of making some of the units available for-sale down the line, said Wicks. 

The mix includes various two- to four-bedroom townhome units ranging from approximately 960 to 1,600 square feet, aligning with staff household sizes.

Finance Director Stephanie Juneau noted that while final pricing from Rural Homes is pending, the target is to keep rents affordable for teachers and classified staff while generating enough rental income to cover debt service on the development.

“That is exciting progress, and also the percent people are spending on rent like that — it really is eye-opening for why we need to do it,” said outgoing Board President Katy Lee.

“I’ve started trying to talk to people on the west end of town just to get a gauge of the feeling around it, and I think it’s pretty positive,” said Board Treasurer Kevin Callahan, who lives in the Heritage Park neighborhood. “I’m just hoping my end of town comes forward and is just very supportive.”

Meanwhile, the district is moving closer to finalizing the sale of its 9.2-acre Whistler Park parcel — most recently appraised at about $3.6 million — to the city of Steamboat Springs to keep it as parkland, with the aim of using the funds to support the Sleeping Giant housing development. 

“The next step is reaching out again to the HOA and getting a community meeting on the books there,” said Wicks, “so we have a lot of steps to go through.”