Aspen School District to buy employee housing steps away from ski run

Aspen School District looked for solutions to reduce commute times for their staff, as soaring housing prices push teachers further from their classrooms.

The Aspen School Board signed a resolution on Wednesday to authorize the purchase of three Snowmass units for $2.075 million for employee housing. 

The roughly 500-square-foot studio condominiums are located between the Snowmass Base Village and the Snowmass mall. 

“I’m glad to hear that they’re in Snowmass, within our district,” School Board Vice President Stacey Weiss said. “Even in a small apartment, there’s a lot to be said for minimal commuting time, and many of us have traded space for that convenience.”

The school board authorized Board President Christa Gieszl to sign on their behalf for the final purchase, expected for Nov. 1.

School District Director of Facilities and Housing Joe Waneka said they hope to have a staff member move into one of the units by Dec. 1. He hopes to fill the other two by Jan. 1. 

The units will be prioritized for teachers, he told The Aspen Times on Friday. With the new units, they will have housed roughly 40% of ASD staff who expressed interest in workforce housing. They need about 73 units to meet the remaining demand. 

“We know that the cost of living is cost prohibitive for individuals making certain salaries,” Waneka said. “Especially teachers and our support staff to be able to live within a reasonable amount of time of the district.”

Without providing housing, people could be forced to live as far as Rifle or New Castle to qualify for an appropriate housing loan, he added.

Regarding the current purchase, he said it is rare to find housing so close to the school campuses mid-school year. 

“We got three of them in Snowmass, yeah — that was the intention of the board,” Waneka said. “They really like the notion of keeping teachers in our community.”

Cassie Harrelson, school board assistant secretary and treasurer, said she’s happy about the purchase as long as they have basic amenities. 

“Do they have an oven, a washer and dryer, and a parking spot?” she asked, to which President Gieszl replied, “They’re, like, ski-in-ski out. They’re right at Snowmass.”

“Perfect — I’d move there,” Harrelson said. 

Waneka said in the phone call the district needs to be smart about how they spend their money for housing because they don’t have endless funds. 

“We don’t have endless money, so we have to find the right deals,” he said. 

The district would spend about $500,000 above the studios’ actual value determined by the county but would spend within the range of the appraised value, he said. Appraised value is used to determine the value of the property based on local market circumstances and additional offers made to the property.

“We’re within range of market. We’re trying to be aggressive, so that’s why we’re trying to go to the top of that appraisal. We don’t want to be paying over unless we really need to be in there,” he said. “We’re just being very strategic in our posturing.”

Apart from the $2.075 million ASD will spend on the studios, they’ve set aside an additional $280,000 to remodel and repair the apartments before staff move in.

“It’s in fair condition — the saving grace is the small compactness,” Waneka said, adding, “It’s kind of a confined space where you can work efficiently.”

According to the district, $6.5 million remains from a 2020 bond issuance for workforce housing. Meanwhile, the district this past year discussed going after a new bond of up to $177 million, $100 million of which could go toward workforce housing. The bond did not make it on the November 2024 ballot.

So far the district completed inspections on all three studios to identify what they will need to repair once after the purchase. They’ll have one month following the Nov. 1 purchase to repair one of the studios before the first staff member moves in on Dec. 1. They’ll repair and remodel the other two studios through November and December because they’re in greater need, Waneka said. 

“Thank you for getting those,” School Board Treasurer Sarah Daniels told him. “I’m excited … more people in our school district.”

He said they plan to leverage these apartments to find more. 

“These are definitely kind of a stepping stone,” Waneka said. “Secure that residence, so we can get somebody into the district, and as they grow, we grow, and opportunities come about.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.