The Housing Challenge in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley
In 2019 a collaboration of regional counties, municipalities, housing authorities, and community leaders commissioned a housing study called the 2019 Greater Roaring Fork Regional Housing Study* which included a housing needs analysis for an area including Aspen to Glenwood Springs and Parachute to Edwards. Findings show that in 2017 the region had a 2,000-housing unit shortfall for households whose annual income was 60% of the Area Median Income or AMI. By 2027, it is projected that the shortfall of units within the price range for households earning at or below the AMI will skyrocket to 5,700. The shortfall for those who earn above the AMI will be an additional 1,200 units.
Demand for housing in in the region exceeds the supply even as the need for more employees grows. With the costs consistently increasing to build housing, more non-local home ownership in the area, and more short-term rentals in the region, the competition for employees to secure the very few rental units is fierce and very difficult to obtain. In the past, significant numbers of employees commuted long distances to work in Aspen, while this is still true, the availability of affordable housing within an 85-mile radius is slim to none.
Just under half of the 300 employers who responded to a survey for the study reported that they had unfilled positions and had potential employees decline job offers or had employees leave their jobs due to the lack of affordable housing opportunities. More than a quarter of employers said affordable housing is “the most critical problem in the area.”
Since the study was conducted, COVID-19 brought new and increased pressures to the housing market in the region and has only reduced the number of affordable housing units available for purchase or rent.
The Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Aspen Center for Physics are all facing the housing crisis that challenges all employers in the region. In the past, all three organizations have relied on the free-market to provide (often temporary) housing for staff and visiting researchers, musicians, and scholars. The challenges have intensified as the supply of housing has dwindled in recent years and the difficulties of continuing to provide excellent programming to the community and a healthy work environment for staff, visiting faculty, artists, and scholars is dependent on creating opportunities for their staff to have reliable, quality housing that is affordable and secure.
*The housing study was done by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. and RRC Associates
Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of Aspen Institute
"As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, it is clear that we must find long term housing solutions to ensure that we can continue to serve the public for the next 75 years. It is critical that the designs put forward are responsive to the distinctive character of Aspen and our architectural legacy, adhere to the highest sustainability standards, and are developed with the input of the community that makes Aspen such a special place.”
Alan Fletcher, President and CEO of Aspen Music Festival and School
“Music is a deeply personal, and interpersonal, art form, and being together is essential to every aspect of the work. However, in the past three years, the cost of housing has increased so fast in the Valley, it has started to threaten this core aspect of what we do. In 2021 we had to reduce our student body by 80 students since we couldn’t find enough affordable housing. We are losing year-round staff because of housing issues, and are strained to house our nearly 300 artists and summer staff. It is time for another visionary initiative."
Josh Frieman, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Aspen Center for Physics
“The Aspen Center for Physics brings scientists together to ponder, discuss, and unravel the mysteries of the universe and to communicate the latest discoveries in physics to the public. Sharp increases in Aspen rental costs have forced ACP to house a growing number of visiting physicists downvalley. Even so, continued growth in housing costs is endangering our ability to attract physicists from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Our proposed housing plan meets this challenge while preserving the serenity of our campus, reducing traffic into and through Aspen, and reducing the Center’s impact on the environment.”
Our Housing Needs
Aspen Institute
One of the challenges that the Aspen Institute faces today is the lack of affordable and accessible housing for their staff, potential new staff, visiting staff and hotel staff in Aspen. The exorbitant costs of Aspen housing have made it difficult for many people to live and work in the city, especially for those who come from lower-income backgrounds or underrepresented groups. This has negative impacts on the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the Aspen community, as well as on the quality and innovation of the programs and services that the Aspen Institute offers.
Building housing would have many benefits such as attracting and retaining a more diverse and talented pool of staff, who would otherwise be deterred or excluded by the high costs of living in Aspen. Our housing solution also supports the local economy and environment, by reducing commuting, congestion, and pollution.
Building housing for new, visiting, hotel, and current staff is a strategic and sustainable way for the Aspen Institute to advance the Aspen Idea and its institutions in the 21st century. By investing in housing, the Aspen Institute would not only provide a practical solution to a pressing problem, but also a visionary action showing our commitment to the ideals and values that Walter Paepcke and his collaborators established more than 70 years ago. Building housing would demonstrate that the Aspen Institute cares for its people, its place, and its purpose.
Aspen Music Festival and School
You cannot outsource a violin player in an orchestra or a music teacher in a school. The Aspen Music Festival and School’s presence in Aspen is not just a benefit to all who visit and live here, but it is mandatory for the present and future fulfillment of the Aspen Idea. The strength of the Aspen Music Festival and School is that it is a local organization that is dedicated to being part of the Aspen community all year long.
The organization has had to cut summer programming, including staff, because of the lack of housing in the Valley. Like many employers in Aspen, the Music Festival and School has had significant challenges recruiting and retaining staff and faculty. As an organization with a goal to provide programs in the schools year-round, as well as a robust and diverse summer program, it is essential to find reliable and affordable housing.
The Aspen Music Festival and School has a strong commitment to solving some of its housing challenges on its own land. Our first goal is to house our year-round staff and then use any remaining housing units for additional summer needs.
Aspen Center for Physics
In the past, the Aspen Center for Physics has relied on rentals around the upper valley to house its visiting physicists in the summer and winter. Dwindling rental supplies and high costs have become prohibitive for visiting scientists to afford and long commutes from downvalley locations is unsustainable and contributes to traffic on Highway 82.
The opportunity to develop connections that are fed by living in the same location propels cutting-edge science forward and instills a sense of belonging within the research community. These connections are built and strengthened through workshops and informal working groups, but also through other activities that take place on our campus, both structured and spontaneous. The ability to participate in these activities, and to include family members at times, is greatly enhanced for participants housed in Aspen.
The Center’s past successes are directly tied to its unique ability to build communities both within subfields of physics and across disciplines. Researchers who have attended summer programs in the past, especially early in their careers, have emphasized the impact on their science and their career trajectories from the sense of community they gained during their time at the Center. You can learn more about our project here.
