City of Aspen awarded $135,000 from DOLA

Aspen, CO - The City of Aspen has been awarded a grant for $135,000 from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Strong Communities Planning Grant Program. The grant will support the city's efforts to examine the feasibility of developing a Community Land Trust (CLT) as part of its ongoing commitment to affordable housing and creation of incentives to support such programs. 

A CLT is a non-profit, independent organization that acquires property in support of community needs like affordable housing or commercial space.  The city intends the CLT to be a city-wide program with the acknowledgement that it will eventually become a 501c3 and maintain its own group of stakeholders and governing board. CLTs have been successfully established across the United States and in other Colorado communities.

The $135,000 grant funds will be dedicated to hiring consultants who will play a crucial role in conducting the feasibility study, facilitating community conversations, and developing the CLT structure and bylaws. The city aims to leverage their expertise to guide discussions, aligning with the Grounded Solutions Network's principles and mechanisms for CLT development. 

The CLT project aligns with the city’s 2021-26 Affordable Housing Strategic Plan, aiming to achieve City Council goals of creating 500 new affordable and deed-restricted units by 2026. The initiative also supports DOLA's Land Use Best Strategies, addressing the housing shortfall documented in the 2019 Roaring Fork Regional Housing Study. 

In a statement from the grant application, “The city believes that affordable housing is a tool to preserve and enhance economic and social diversity and enhance our sense of community.  Each affordable housing development and each tool to create affordable housing should endeavor to further that mix and avoid segregation of economic and social classes.”

The city's proposed timeline includes developing a Request for Proposals (RFP) in spring of 2024, hiring a consultant in summer of 2024, conducting a feasibility study and community conversations in the winter of 2024/2025, and aiming for the CLT structure and bylaws development from 2025 to 2026. This grant represents a significant step forward in the City of Aspen's ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive community through sustainable and accessible affordable housing.

For more information, please contact:
Haley Hart, long range planner
Phone: (970) 618-6762
Email: Haley.hart@aspen.gov
Or Carolyn Sackariason, communications coordinator
Phone: (970) 319-2791
Email: carolyn.sackariason@aspen.gov

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