The Town of Carbondale will soon have added over 400 new housing units to its inventory since 2016. KDNK's Raleigh Burleigh has this report.
The Town of Carbondale is growing, as evidenced by an influx of new construction projects. Most recently, Carbondale Center Place is undergoing a rezoning process for 76 new dwelling units in the Sopris Shopping Center along Highway 133.
In 2019, the Town issued a building permit for 1201 Main Street, also along Highway 133, on the northeast corner of the roundabout. This will include 27 new rentals.
In 2018, The Town of Carbondale approved the Main Street Marketplace project adding 115 new residential units adjacent to the new City Market. In addition, 30 affordable units are being built along Dolores Way near the RFTA Park and Ride and 78 dwelling units go with the new Sopris Lodge Assisted Living Facility, nearing completion along the Rio Grande Trail.
With the addition of Carbondale Center Place, the Town will have approved more than 400 new dwelling units since 2016.
According to the Town's Planning Director Janet Buck, how many of these units are considered affordable "is not so cut and dried."
The Town of Carbondale requires that any new residential development with five or more dwelling units set aside 20% of those as deed-restricted AKA affordable housing.
Calculations for affordable housing are based on the current median incomedetermined by Garfield County for the Town of Carbondale Area. That's $84,500 per person for an individual, adding $7,500 for each additional person in a household.
The Town's Unified Development Code Specifies that the first of these units must be affordable to purchasers earning 100% that current median income. The second should be affordable to those earning 80%, the third 120%, the fourth 150%. A fifth unit would reinitiate the cycle, priced at 100% the median income, the sixth would be 80% again, the seventh 120%, the eighth 150% and so on.
For example, the Main Street Marketplace development next to the new City Market includes 115 units, so 23 must be deed-restricted. Six will be affordable to those earning less than that current median income for the Town of Carbondale. The other seventeen will be priced for individuals earning $84,500 or more per household.
Not all of these new developments fall under Carbondale’s requirement for affordable housing. Red Hill Lofts along Dolores Way is devoted exclusively to affordability with 30 units for people at 50% to 80% the local average median income. Roaring Fork Schools has its own rules for their employee housing on Third street, and Sopris Assisted Living Facility is also unique with a mix of independent living, assisted living and memory care units.
