The Colorado Dream KUNC

The town of Breckenridge is building a new neighborhood specifically for local workers. But with just 61-units for sale which residents will end up with a home? Plus, Summit County is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service on a first-of-its-kind housing development that’s been 60 years in the making.

Episode 5: A lack of affordable housing is causing a severe staffing crisis in schools in Eagle County, prompting the school district to break into the affordable housing development business.

Steamboat Springs created three different zones to regulate short-term rentals, including a red zone where no new permits for those rentals can be issued. Three people living within that zone share their experiences with how the regulations have shaped their lives.

Steamboat Springs nurse Sanaya Sturm wants to buy a home. She’s put in over a dozen offers but gets outbid by cash offers, or the house she wanted is converted into a short-term rental. Meanwhile, the local housing authority wants to build over 2,000 homes by 2040. Will this plan solve the housing crisis for her and thousands of other residents?

Breckenridge is a little over five square miles. Despite its size, preserving the past is a priority for Breckenridge—the town has 249 Historic District structures and seven historical exhibits and museums. Preservation also is an important part of the town’s plan to curb the housing crisis, now and in the future. One initiative is called Housing Helps, which helped locals Anne and John Lowe buy their dream home. But the town's housing initiatives might not work for everyone.

There is a housing crisis in Colorado’s mountain resort communities And it’s left longtime locals, like 29-year-old Summit County resident Javier Pineda Rosas, unable to find a stable living situation. A recent survey taken by county residents shows just how dire the situation has become. The county will need over 2,300 rental and for-sale units - at all price points - to meet the housing demand. Local officials and employers are working to solve this housing crisis that Pineda Rosas says is “super bad.”