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October 10, 2004
Town Plans for Tomboy Town Homes Advance
By Amy Levek
For people who missed out in the recent lottery to determine opportunities to buy one of three deed-restricted homes in East Telluride, there’s another chance coming. As the Tomboy Town Home project wends its way through the town approvals process, sixteen more for-sale housing units are taking shape. Future lucky owners could find themselves housed as soon as the end of next year.
“With over one hundred applications for the three homes in East Telluride, we know there’s a lack of affordable housing, so we’re trying to get them on the market as soon as possible,” says Telluride Town Councilmember Stu Fraser, who sits on council’s housing subcommittee.
Straddling the western edge of the historic district on West Colorado Ave. near Cornet Creek, the planned project takes its cue from its neighboring residential buildings just east of the creek. With pitched roofs, warm earth toned wood siding – mossy greens mix with reddish browns – the project is broken into three buildings. Separating the structure that way allowed architects Cottle Carr and Yaw to make them very livable.
“We’re trying to include as much above-grade area as possible, with light on three sides, to create livable units,” explains project manager Lance McDonald of the town manager’s office. There are private decks, storage space for the inevitable Telluride toys, and tucked underneath are all the essential parking spaces. In fact, 20 spaces are included, more than the town codes require – in anticipation of locals’ lifestyle needs.
The buildings have a residential feel in spite of their size. Windows of varying size and placement break up the exterior while inviting lots of light inside. The spaces will offer what people want, including access to the rest of the world. “They’ll also be completely wired – with cable and Internet in all the rooms,” says Fraser.
After two public meetings to hear what people want, and for nearby residents to weigh in on making the project a good neighbor, Fraser believes that the town “will end up with really nice units.” The project, he says, made it through the Telluride Historic and Architectural Review Commission “with about 15 conditions, most of which have already been met.”
Two bedroom units dominate the mix. There are ten, along with three studio/one-bedroom units and three three-bedroom layouts. What this project has that other town for-sale projects don’t is a “green building” design.
“The green building specifications were developed and used at the last Shandokah phase,” explains McDonald. “This project will comply with all the specifications, as will all future projects.”
Those specifications, as detailed in the Town of Telluride Energy Efficient and Environmentally Responsible Building Code, are not currently required. But the housing subcommittee and project designers wanted to hold the project to higher standards for environmental efficiency and health than what is required, causing some reviewers to bemoan the fact that the private sector wasn’t also meeting the standards so willingly. “We’re holding ourselves to a higher standard for lighting, for instance,” says McDonald. Designers could have included a few more units on the site, but that “would have affected the livability.”
The project goes back to HARC, most likely in late October, for final approval. Upon approval, the subcommittee will review final cost estimates and unit prices, with a go/no go decision by the town council in early January. The units are aimed at the 90-110 percent average median income group, or those earning roughly $46,000 – $52,000 in combined family income, according to Fraser.
“We’re hoping very much to make these units very affordable to expand the housing base.”
Changing interest rates could have a profound effect on the ultimate price, but for now, the affordable housing subcommittee hopes to see prices ranges from $150,000 to $250,000. The sizes vary from 450 square feet for the compact studio up to about 1,400 square feet for the three-bedroom.
“Compare that to recent Viking [condominium] studios that went for about $300,000,” offers Fraser. “We’re hoping that these will be one-third the cost. We’re watching our costs very carefully, while still fulfilling the green building code,” he continues. “If we can meet foundation costs, we’ll be there.” Both McDonald and Fraser praise the architects for the sensitivity and experience they bring to the project. “John Cottle and Scott McHale have done an outstanding job,” Fraser says, citing their work on affordable housing in the Aspen area.
Having Shaw Construction paired with the architects in a design-build arrangement should help keep costs down. Shaw was chosen partially because of their cost-sensitive affordable housing experience locally and elsewhere.
The town council also considered other factors to keep costs down.
“Council prioritized housing projects, so that staff and boards have clear direction,” says McDonald. That means expedited scheduling for review, but no compromises on code requirements or leniency in standards. “There are no special favors – the project complies with zoning standards,” he explains.
McDonald and Fraser hope to keep as many of the mature cottonwoods on the site as possible, as well as designing the project to preserve the Boomerang Lodge parking that was inherited with the land. The project also sets back from Cornet Creek, but for some, part of the livability could include the sound of moving water.
As for locals’ interest in the project, “a lot of folks in the lottery for the family housing project have expressed interest, so we may do another lottery,” says McDonald. Council support has been outstanding, too, according to Fraser. “We’re committed to doing this project,” he says. And the one after that, too, he adds, although the location and type have not been chosen yet.
Fraser recalls a conversation with former council member and housing advocate Dave Johnson, where Fraser stated that the town could not do a project and stop.
“I told him we had to be designing the next one as soon as we begin construction on the one before it,” he says. “I hope we’ll be doing the next one soon.”
Posted by Adam at October 10, 2004 11:53 AM