Willits Housing and Community Space

Our Opportunity

The Project

The Town of Basalt is excited to explore new opportunities for affordable housing and community spaces on a 2.3-acre parcel officially known as Sopris Meadows Parcel 2E, located on Lewis Lane, just south of TACAW. This initiative, known as Willits Housing and Community Space represents a collaborative effort to address one of Basalt’s most pressing challenges – the need for housing and vibrant community spaces.

Willits housing and community space

The Town of Basalt is committed to supporting affordable workforce housing as a critical community investment. Opportunities for people to live in the community where they work enhance quality of life, foster improved year-round vitality, create a more resilient local economy, reduce transportation impacts, and increase citizen participation in civic affairs, non-profit activities and recreation programs.

The Willits Affordable Housing & Community Space represents an opportunity to fulfill community goals identified in the 2020 Basalt Master Plan. This is an opportunity for residents, business owners, workers, elected officials, and Town staff to come together to address a community need for affordable housing in Basalt.

In addition, based on community input and youth services partners, Town staff has been directed by Town Council to explore the option of a community center in addition to affordable housing on the site.

The Town of Basalt is the only community in the Valley without either a youth center or recreation center. This Town owned property is an opportunity to design a community space to fill that gap, as well as other identified needs such as arts space, nonprofit space, or senior services. The Town is seeking public input to design the community space.

Background

HOW THE TOWN ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY

The property was acquired by the Town through the land use approval process during the development of Willits Town Center PUD in the early 2000s. As part of the approval process, Parcel 2E was designated for “civic uses” allowing the Town to develop the property for community benefitting purposes.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING VISION

Through community input during the master planning process, the public ranked their top priority problems for the Town to address. Affordable housing ranked number one out of 13 various issues.

Opportunities for people to live in the community where they work enhance quality of life, foster year-round vitality, contribute to a more resilient local economy, reduce transportation impacts, and increase citizen participation in civic affairs, non-profit activities, and recreation programs. The Town of Basalt is committed to making critical community investments in affordable housing because of these benefits and the high level of public support.

In the fall of 2021 through the Basalt Forward 2030 Process, the Town of Basalt put forth a ballot issue asking for approval of voter-approved bonds to be used for affordable housing projects. With this question the Town committed $6 million for affordable housing initiatives. This ballot measure passed with a margin of 71%.

COMMUNITY SPACE

The Town’s 2020 Master Plan speaks to childcare as a legitimate burden in tandem with housing. The Basalt Master Plan identifies a Child Development Center on Parcel 2E as one of the top projects to implement.

In 2022, The Town and Blue Lake Preschool entered into an agreement to allow Blue Lake Preschools to pursue a design and potential construction of a daycare on Parcel 2E. Ultimately, the construction cost was determined to be prohibitive. However, in 2024, the Town of Basalt in partnership with Pitkin County secured a state grant to finish the childcare facility at Stott’s Mill creating a four-classroom childcare facility. After a thorough procurement process, Blue Lake Preschool was awarded a long-term lease on the facility starting in September 2024 and leaving Parcel 2E open for other possible mixed use, including serving the needs of older children

Over the last several years, the Roaring Fork School District, Hope Center, and Youth Zone have presented annual reports to Basalt Town Council revealing a common and persistent theme related to the mental health challenges the youth of Basalt are facing. While there are successful and existing afterschool programs for elementary school and younger children in Basalt, the opportunities for middle school and older youth are extremely limited With this in mind, the opportunity to create multi-use spaces that can be enjoyed by a variety of age ranges while also serving our youth is being considered for this space.

Through the outreach process with the community, The Town is seeking to understand existing opportunities and gaps in Basalt to define the community’s highest priorities for the site.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Town Council directed staff to pursue significant affordable housing on the site and the opportunity for a community center. The initial outreach efforts are focused on determining if there is support for a community center that would support youth services. Social connectedness, stability, safety, sense of purpose and meaningful access to relevant resources are identified wellness benefits that a community center could provide to all demographics in a mixed-use, multi-purpose space.

Community feedback & Information

Share your input

We want to hear from you! Your input will help us design a space that reflects the needs and aspirations of our community. What do you value most when it comes to affordable housing and mixed-use community space? Your voice is critical in shaping this vision. Please explore the idea sections below.