Housing Market

In late July the City of Glenwood Springs hosted a virtual town hall webinar on homelessness. The meeting came about a month after a fire broke out in a rugged gully northeast of Walmart, causing a nearby apartment building to be evacuated. Although the fire lasted less than a day and reached only one and a half acres in size, its proximity to the town and likely origin in a homeless camp caught officials’ attention. The panel included Glenwood’s Chief of Public Safety, Fire Marshall, Parks and Recreation director, the District Attorney and Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario.KDNK reporters Lily Jones and Amy Hadden Marsh and News Director Marilyn Gleason all attended the Zoom meeting separately. In Part 2 of our reporter's roundtable, Amy Hadden Marsh digs into the private property inhabited by the unhoused at the Palmer Fire, and Marilyn Gleason remarks on law enforcement's 'revolving door.'

Affordable housing is one of the scarcest resources in the Roaring Fork Valley. Real estate prices have skyrocketed in the past decade, and even the smaller communities like New Castle are feeling the effects. Officials are turning to real estate developers to provide affordable housing, but even they aren’t immune to the economy's shifting sands.

The KDNK News Team brings listeners local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

In March of this year, residents of two mobile home parks in the Roaring Fork Valley received notice that their owner intended to sell the properties. Residents fear spikes in rent and displacement in one of Colorado’s most expensive regions. In June, Carbondale’s Board of Trustees pledged a million dollars to help these residents purchase their homes.

Last year, Forbes magazine released statistics on the cities where home values have grown the most over the past twenty years. Four out of 20 were in Colorado, and the number one spot went to Carbondale. Located downvalley of Aspen, Carbondale is home to fewer than 7,000 people and has become increasingly associated with affluence and leisure. However, this is not the whole picture. Many people who have lived here for years now find themselves floundering in the face of rising living costs.

It's been two years since the Marshall Fire burned more than a thousand homes in Boulder County. On December 30, 2021, winds of more than 100-miles-per-hour propelled the flames towards a heavily populated suburban area south of Boulder. Two years on, many homeowners continue to grapple with insurance companies.

Jackson's affordability issues mean high housing prices and long commutes for local teachers.

KDNK’s reporter Hattison Rensberry brings you local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley ... and beyond.

Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic state lawmakers announced a proposal last week to address Colorado’s housing affordability crisis. It would change land-use rules in big cities, resort communities, and small towns.

The Carbondale-based developer of a proposed subdivision on Valley Road near El Jebel pulled back his application at a Tuesday meeting with Eagle County Commissioners. KDNK’s Morgan Neely has more in this local housing roundup.