Sopris Meadows PUD Parcel 2E has been vacant for more than 20 years, but the City of Basalt is in the early stages of a land use process to acquire deed-restricted homes on the site.
The City of Basalt is on the cusp of achieving its decades-long goal of seeing the development of affordable housing and community service facilities on property it owns in the Willits area.
On Tuesday, the Basalt City Council will consider a $362,100 contract with Charles Cunniff Architects with Design Workshop for public outreach, design and rights-of-way on a city-owned property in Willits that has long been designated for public use.
Sopris Meadows PUD Parcel 2E is located at the intersection of Willits and Lewis, just south of the Arts Campus at Willits. The city acquired the 2.5-acre parcel in 2001 when it approved the land use for the development of the Willits Town Center.
Previous city plans identified the site as suitable for a child care facility, but high cost estimates to build a facility on the lot forced the city to deviate. With the upcoming opening of the Blue Lake Preschool on the Millie Stott site in Southside Basalt, city Planning Director Michel Thibault said the future identity of Parcel 2E has changed somewhat.
“It (space) went from child-centered care with affordable housing to affordable housing with community space,” she said. “Public space can (still) be child care, it could be after-school programming, it could be arts-related, it could be a flex space, it could be some version of a recreation center, it could be any of those things.”
The city is planning a 4,000-square-foot public plaza, the purpose of which will be determined through public participation hearings and discussions with the city council. Deed-restricted housing can occupy this space if the community so desires.
The number of units and their size are not specified. Some site restrictions limit the city’s ability to implement specific unit expectations at this early stage, Thibault said.
Aspen-based Charles Cunniff Architects and Basalt-based Design Workshop beat out nine other respondents to the city’s request for proposals for community engagement and rights-of-way for Parcel 2E.
Thibault said the bid was competitively priced, focused on affordable housing and community engagement, and was open to a variety of uses in the community space.
Tibiaul said the city will contribute about $162,100 toward the contract price, with the remaining $200,000 paid for by the Colorado Department of Public Works’ Greater Housing and Land Use Initiative grant.
The city’s contribution comes from Basalt Forward 2030 funds, voter-approved bond funds earmarked for affordable housing, climate and downtown improvement initiatives. Of the $18 million approved, $6 million has been earmarked for housing.
Thibault said the city plans to use the money for grant requirements later in the Parcel 2E process because $6 million is not enough to fund an affordable housing project at the remote site.
“We try to be fiscally responsible and (engage in) risk management, knowing that we have limited sources of funding. In some ways, partnering with other organizations that have more capital and have more access to existing capital just makes it more financially sustainable for us,” he said. “And in the long run, the city of Basalt doesn’t want to be a real estate developer.”
Instead, the city will seek a public-private partnership to develop the parcel. It is easier to find and secure such a partnership with rights or building entitlements guaranteed by the city, which is why the city plans to end the contract with Cunniffe Architects and Design.
Under the contract, the companies will hold public events and update staff and city council members on their progress.
Specifically, the community engagement plan should include two check-in work sessions with the city council and one with Basalt Affordable Community Housing (BACH). The two community outreach “windows” should focus on understanding community goals and finalizing design options. The windows include project communications, up to 10 focus groups or interviews with key stakeholders and neighborhood groups, an outreach event, and Spanish translation of materials and in-person services at events.
The contract is used through the PUD’s preliminary plan review process and the PUD’s preliminary/final land use plan review process. Thibault said he expects the process to take between 12 and 14 months.
A meeting to approve the contract between the city and Charles Cunniff Architects with the Design Workshop will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall in downtown Basalt.
