2024-03-04 01:34:09
A Colorado town of 13,000 is grappling with a dire housing crisis that leaves local ski resort workers forced to stay in hotels and the hospital struggling to hire staff, reports NBC.
The Municipality of Steamboat Springs has seen the price of single-family residences increase by 80% since 2020 to reach an average value of $1.8 million US, or approximately $2.4 million Canadian.
During this period, homeowners saw property taxes jump 86%. Acquiring a property in Steamboat Springs with an income of less than $200,000 has become virtually impossible.
The municipal administration is also unable to hire a human resources director because the salary offered, which is $167,000 per year, is insufficient to buy a house in Steamboat Springs.
The local hospital says many doctors who were willing to pay more than $1 million for a residency have seen their offers greatly outperformed by outside buyers.
The small town, whose economy depends heavily on its ski resort, has become a popular location for winter Olympic athletes.
Now the ski resort must rent a hotel to house its employees, because apartments and houses that were once available for rental are now Airbnb-style accommodations.
“In the past, houses were used by our employees and hotels accommodated visitors. Now, the houses are rented by visitors and the hotels are used to house our employees,” laments the communications director of the Steamboat ski center.
She deplores the fact that several members of her staff have young families and are starting their careers, but are unable to put down roots in the city due to the housing crisis.
Thanks to an anonymous donation of $24 million, the City managed to purchase land measuring just over two square kilometers to build some 2,200 housing units. Sales and rentals of these units would be limited to people who work and live in Steamboat Springs full-time.
The hospital has also embarked on a real estate project of 42 apartments whose rents cannot exceed 30% of the income of the employees who will live there.
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