BY ASHLEY KEESIS-WOOD
ashleykeesis@windsorbeacon.com
The results of the workforce housing needs study has given the town board and two housing committees a mixed bag of news.
The most revealing information, however, is that while there are housing options at every income level in Windsor there may not be enough housing at all levels.
“Windsor is a very unique community, as we discovered through the course of this study,” said consultant Andy Knudtsen, of Economic Planning Systems, during a presentation Monday night to the board and committees.
“There is a very clear delineation between households that have been in Windsor for more than six years and less than six years,” Knudtsen said. “Both groups plan to stay in this community for a long time.”
Households that have been in town for six or less years have 15 percent higher incomes than longer-term residents. Also, residents who commute out of town for their jobs have a 16 percent higher income than residents who are employed locally.
“That places pressure on the housing market to cater to people with higher incomes, leading to more higher placed homes and fewer available options,” Knudtsen said.
Right now, he said, Windsor has enough housing options for everyone, but the town is on the bubble.
“Because people like it here and want to stay, it’s worth thinking about housing in terms of a person’s life cycle,” Knudtsen said.
“We need to make sure there is adequate housing for everyone from starter-level to mid-life homes, divorce housing options, empty nesters and senior citizens.”
Windsor, according to Knudtsen, has a relatively low number of renters and rental options.
“The multi-family apartment complexes in Windsor are dated and therefore very affordable, but they’re also fairly small,” he said. “It is probably worth it for the town to consider incentives for multi-family complexes.”
The gap in housing options really comes in, Knudtsen said, for incomes in professions such as teachers, emergency services personnel, health care workers and government employees.
“There are homes available, but that’s where we see more demand than there are homes,” he said.
Knudtsen also suggested the town consider consolidating the Primary Workforce Housing Committee and the Windsor Housing Authority into a single entity and host quarterly housing summits.
“That seems to track with what I’ve seen around town,” said town board member Michael Kelly, who is also liaison to the PWHC. “There are a lot of big houses and not a lot of rental options.”
Windsor Town Manager Kelly Arnold asked where the tipping point was for commuters to consider moving closer to their employers in terms of gas prices.
“I can’t really answer that because it depends on the commuter,” Knudtsen said. “Higher transportation costs will definitely hit the lower income spectrum first.”
Town board member Matthew O’Neill asked about lower-end rental options.
“Are there a lot of people stuck in apartments because they can’t afford to move into a rental or a starter-level single family home?” he asked.
Knudtsen said he was unsure, but would find out.
PWHC chair Carol Householder was pleased with the study.
“I think this is great, and our responsibility now is to find a way to move forward with a plan,” she said. “There are plenty of things to discuss in this.”
Windsor Mayor John Vazquez suggested the WHA take the lead in presenting a plan for action.
Town board member Jon Slater, who is a member of the WHA, suggested the WHA board meet before presenting any plan.
“Our regular meeting is this week, so we’ll get back to you,” Slater said.
PWHC member Paul Ehrlich said the two housing entities might also consider working with the development community.
“Any incentives we come up with will also include developers and land use issues,” Ehrlich said.
Michael Davis of the WHA said he was excited by the prospect of moving forward.
“There are lots of opportunities here if we can get some financial resources and more support and aid,” Davis said.
Lynn Shine, a State of Colorado representative who is involved with the needs assessment study process, said the state was pleased with the efforts being undertaken by Windsor.
“We don’t want to tell you what your plan should look like, but we do want to see some sort of plan being put together,” Shine said.
The town board agreed to have another work session on the housing topic in May.