Eagle County withdraws West Eagle Housing Development application

Eagle County on Tuesday issued the following press release on its withdrawal of the annexation application for the proposed West Eagle Housing development in the Town of Eagle:

The Eagle County Government has withdrawn its land use and annexation application for the proposed West Eagle Housing development (AN23-01) within the Town of Eagle. This project would have provided much-needed workforce housing, benefiting the Town of Eagle and the broader community, by providing 113 deed-restricted housing units. 

“Housing affordability and availability is a perennial challenge in our community,” said Eagle County Commissioner Matt Scherr. “Although we could not move forward with this project, we will continue seeking opportunities with public and private partners that support sustainable and equitable housing solutions throughout the county.”

Unfortunately, the Town of Eagle’s position that approval of the housing project was contingent upon the county also transferring to the town the county-owned land upon which the Eagle River Park is located and the inclusion of a real estate transfer assessment (RETA) on price-capped deed-restricted units were dealbreakers for the county. The county believes that conveyance of the land underlying the Eagle River Park has significant land-use and water rights implications and should not be tied to this housing development. Additionally, the town required as a condition of annexation that the county pay the town $7.5 million if the county was unable to convey the land underlying the Eagle River Park by a certain date. This requirement was also unacceptable to the county. The county values the Eagle River Park and wants to see it continue to operate as a vital taxpayer-funded community amenity. Currently, the town operates the park under a use agreement with the county. The county has similar agreements with recreation districts responsible for operating other parks, such as Freedom Park and Crown Mountain Park, on county-owned land.

Furthermore, applying the RETA to price-capped units and allowing the revenue generated to fund Town of Eagle operations increases the upfront cost of purchasing a home, makes it more difficult for buyers to qualify, and does not align with the county’s affordable housing goals.

From the start of the project, the county pursued a communications strategy that prioritized transparency and community engagement. In addition to public meetings that are part of the land-use approval process, the county hosted an open house in May 2023 attended by approximately 60 community members. The project was designed to conform with the West Eagle Subarea Plan, Elevate Eagle, Town of Eagle Strategic Plan, Town of Eagle Economic Development Plan, and Town of Eagle Netzero Action Plan, all developed by the town and community members. Additional communication efforts included an updated informational website with project details and artist renderings of the proposed development, direct mailings to 150 adjacent households, and an email list with nearly 200 subscribers who opted in to receive West Eagle updates. 

“Developing workforce housing is complex and necessitates a shared vision and alignment of goals among all parties involved,” stated Tori Franks, Eagle County Resiliency Director. “While we are disappointed that we cannot proceed with the West Eagle workforce housing project at this time, we remain committed to finding solutions across the spectrum of housing needs and look forward to investing our limited housing dollars in other projects in 2025.”