Green buildings get preference in Saanich

Saanich, BC wants residential builders to build "green" by cutting "red" tape. It is giving priority to applications for housing projects using energy-efficient components and provide those builders rebates of up to 30 per cent on building-permit fees.

Read the full article . . .

Lack of affordable housing on both coasts

Seattle and Boston are on opposite coasts but they share a common concern -- a lack of affordable housing. And not just a lack of affordable housing for lower income residents. Each city is facing a severe affordable housing shortage for low and middle income residents.

As the Post-Intelligencer reports, the median prices for a house in Seattle was about $450,000 and $290,000 for a condo, while the typical single person in Seattle earned enough to buy a home for just under $200,000. Many median-income workers choose to buy and commute rather than rent and hour commutes each are becoming more and more common and today, only 49 percent of Seattle's workforce lives in the city.

Boston is looking for ways to build affordable housing lost to the free market. Robert Kuttner writes in the Boston Globe, that the $60 billion of federal money spent between 1965 and 1990 to subsidize private developers to build affordable housing in Boston is now being squandered since there were no requirements to keep the units affordable in perpetuity. Once the initial federal loan is paid off, developers/owners are free to sell or rent the housing to the highest bidder. Consequently, the affordable housing built with at taxpayer support is now becoming a windfall profit for the developer/owner.

Aspen mayoral race heats up

Although there is still time for other candidates to enter the race, the current candidates for Mayor of Aspen began their first debate in the media by sparring over the city's affordable housing program. Candidate, and former City Council member, Tim Semaru recently suggested increasing the appreciation cap to 5% annually on deed restricted units . The current cap is 3 percent or the national rate of inflation, whichever is lower.

Candidates Mick Ireland and Torre both discarded the suggestion. Ireland, who lives in deed-restricted affordable housing, said Semaru's suggestion would be a negation of the deal between the city and citizens more than 20 years ago. Torre commented that he didn't think the change was neccessary since people "who are in employee housing aren't using it to make money, just to get in the door."

Tom McCabe, director of the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority, said he is worried that the Semaru's plan would hurt local government's ability to prevent the conversion of some 224 housing units into free-market condominiums in the future.

Learn more about Aspen's Affordable Housing Program . . .

Carbondale's educational challenge

Combine a diverse student body, two charter schools, a well known private high school, a number of private elementary schools, and a statewide open enrollment policy and you get a number of challenging educational and community issues in Carbondale.

A couple of weeks ago, Town Trustees heard various opinions about a proposed state bill to create more accountability for state approved charter schools, which brought up issues of segregation in Carbondale's elementary schools, and now parent concerns about enrollment and academic standards at Roaring Fork High School has reached public attention again.

Perhaps, as an editorial in the Valley Journal suggests, it is time for a meeting of the minds on the Carbondale's school.

Your mission: Create proposal to address health care crisis

Imagine that you have one month to create a proposal to address healthy care in Colorado, and if it's a good proposal it could be presented to the State Legislature in November.

Well, there is no need to imagine, you can be busy putting your ideas to paper.

The Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform ('the Commission') has just released a call for Health Reform Proposals due to the Commission by 5:00pm on Friday, April 6, 2007. Prospective proposers should submit, by mail or email, a 'Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal' by 5:00 PM March 13, 2007.

The purpose of the Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform is to 'study and establish health care reform models to expand health care coverage and to decrease health care costs for Colorado residents. For any questions regarding proposal, contact Sarah Schulte, Technical Advisor to the Commission, at sarahschulte@mindspring.com.

And you thought no one would listen.

Basalt wrestles growth

When you are the first town downvalley from Aspen and Snowmass Village, and stradle the boundary between Pitkin and Eagle Counties, you would expect some challenging planning and community development situations.

Nowadays, just about every where the Town of Basalt turns presents another significant challenge. For example:

• Last month, one Basalt's two downtown affordable hotels, The Green Drake Inn, sold for $4.4 million to an investment group that could repeat the trend in Aspen of converting small lodge and hotel rooms to fractional ownership luxury units;


• The town is working to connect the older part of town to the newer south side with an underpass, since the 6-lanes of State Highway 82 presents a formidable barrier between two parts of town;


• The booming second-home market is creating a shortage of affordable housing and every undevelopmed parcel in Basalt's urban growth boundary has a development proposal in the review process; and,


• The town hopes to complete the update its of 1999 urban growth boundary and master plan by this summer.

No wonder a recent Aspen Times Weekly article by Scott Condon asked 'What's happening to my small, quirky town?'

Housing prices continue upward

The national housing market may be stagnant, but housing in the mountains continues on an upward trajectory. According to a recent article in the Aspen Times, the average price for a three-bedroom home jumped, often substainally, throughout the region in 2006.

Basalt: $694,880 (up 21%)

Carbondale: $476,000 (up 4%)

Glenwood Springs: $383,932 (up 21%)

Rifle: $231,851 (up 14%)

The median income for a four person household in Garfield County was $62,300 in 2005.