Affordable Townhouse Project Near Completion in Colorado Ski Country

The second phase of Valley Brook, an affordable townhouse development, is nearing completion, according to the town of Breckenridge and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, which started on the workforce housing project in 2008.

By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Breckenridge, Colo.—The second phase of Valley Brook, an affordable townhouse development in Breckenridge, Colo., is nearing completion, according to the town of Breckenridge and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, which started on the workforce housing project in 2008. All together, the three phases of the property will include 41 for-sale units for buyers at 80 percent to 105 percent of area median income, which is $87,200 for a family of four in Summit County, Colorado.

Breckenridge, whose main industry is wintertime tourism, has a distinct shortage of affordable housing, which it needs to house seasonal workers as well as permanent full-time workers in retail, healthcare and other industries. “If we cannot provide housing for those that work in these industries, it will be difficult, and ultimately perhaps impossible to sustain our basic industry—tourism,” the Summit Combined Housing Authority says in a statement.

Phase I of Valley Brook consisted of 13 residences, and is complete and fully occupied. Phase II is near completion and work on phase III recently started. Phase III will be completed by February 2012. As of mid-October, only five units remain unsold in the entire development.

Valley Brook is located on 4.5 acres on the site of a former airport runway owned by the town, situated between Upper Blue Elementary School and the Breckenridge Police Department. The townhouses range in size from 1,150 square feet to 1,384 square feet and offer two to three bedrooms with attached two-car tandem garages. All the units will be Energy Star certified, and the property is also going for LEED silver certification.

The property’s green features include solar photo-voltaic panel systems, high-grade energy efficient windows, water-saving fixtures (including high-efficiency dual flush toilets, low-flow faucets and shower heads), low-VOC paint and adhesives and carpet made from a high percentage of recycled content. Each unit will also have a passive radon mitigation system, high-efficiency boilers, and in-floor radiant heat. Landscaping will be focused on native species that don’t need long-term irrigation.

This month, the project received a number of awards in the 2011 Summit County Parade of Homes. Designed by KTGY Group, Valley Brook received first place in the category of multifamily homes valued at less than $1 million for Best Location, Best View, Best Overall Floor Plan, Best Curb Appeal, Best Community Amenities, and the Best Overall; and second place for Best Value. Valley Brook also won the Energy Star Award presented by the High Country Conservation Center and the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office.