It has been quite some time since we reached out to you all, but not for a lack of things happening in the community, nor for a lack of widespread citizen efforts occurring – some quietly in the background and some not so quietly.  After a lengthy hiatus, we hope you don’t mind hearing from your long-lost friends at the Last Dollar Collective as we always appreciate your engagement, interest, and attention!

What causes us to infiltrate your inboxes now is the subject of housing need – a subject at the root of many of the governmental policies that have caused us to mobilize and to critically evaluate the plans and actions of our local governments. We all recognize the correlation between housing need and the governmental strategy to construct more housing in the area, amongst other policies.  However, what exactly is the “need”?

On Monday, February 10, 2025, there will be an intergovernmental meeting where San Miguel County, the Town of Telluride, and the Town of Mountain Village will receive and discuss preliminary data for an updated Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).  Led by the San Miguel Regional Housing Authority, the RHNA is being performed by the Denver-based consulting firm EPS.  For more information about the meeting, click HERE and HERE . 

 

 

WE URGE YOU ALL TO ATTEND THIS MEETING

IN-PERSON OR VIA ZOOM

February 10, 2025

1:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.  

Mountain Village Town Hall

455 Mountain Village Blvd

Mountain Village, Colorado

VIA ZOOM:

2/10/25 Intergovernmental Meeting ZOOM LINK

Over the past several years of discussions, our governments referenced data presented in the 2018 RHNA and the 2021 Mountain Migration Report for policy decisions.  Various community members recognize the flaw in referencing outdated or suspiciously funded data in the case of the 2021 publication.  However, we have observed a more concerning issue.

Many of us witnessed governmental officials quoting inconceivably high housing needs numbers based solely on their own opinions.  Or, in the case of one Telluride Town Council member, opinions based upon logic that would make any statistician scratch their head.  Admittedly, tempering skepticism for expensive studies performed by out-of-town consultants is sometimes challenging.  These unfounded opinions by our leaders only serve to increase such skepticism.

We were not privy to the actions and interplay between our local governmental representatives and the EPS team – efforts that led up to the forthcoming meeting.  However, we can and must take advantage of the public presentation and discussion to listen, learn, and consider the exhibited data with a critical eye.  Doing so will help safeguard against a potentially subjective, agenda-driven end product that has no place in local governance.

Ultimately, this current RHNA must be the objective study that is needed. It must consider the necessary goal of maintaining a healthy balance between community housing needs and growth, the carrying capacity of the region, and the closely related quality of life for those who call Telluride home.  The RHNA will inevitably gain the support of the community and provide valuable data for sound planning now and into the future if this can be achieved,

ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING THIS MEETING

Despite the hiatus, please know we have been, and will continue to be, monitoring our community’s issues.  If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@lastdollarcollective.com.  Hope for snow, and thanks to everyone for your continued engagement.