Over the past 30 years, the Aspen Skiing Company has been committed to helping their workforce secure affordable housing, especially in response to the acute housing shortage that threatens the viability of this small and rural resort community. In 2016, the company committed to doubling the number of beds in its portfolio from 600 to 1,200 over the next 5-10 years. The additional supply of housing will help the regional imbalances, traffic congestion and cumbersome commutes that have made hiring and retaining employees a challenge.

This development is a repurposed 40-year old RV campground located on a major transit corridor. The Aspen Skiing Company transformed the site into a 120-bed workforce housing community of small, high-quality, factory-built trailer coaches. The units are hyper-efficient, reconfigurable, and fit the needs of various tenant types, including singles.

The project was designed to work strategically within the parameters of the property’s existing zoning and to reuse existing infrastructure and shared amenities. Within 18 months, the Aspen Skiing Company had tested two rounds of prototypes, integrated resident feedback, and then delivered the completed development.

In addition to being part of a pool of dedicated workforce housing units, the low rent price point of the trailer coaches is secured by their design. The very small spaces guarantee that the units will remain affordable at or below 30% of an employee’s income.

Several innovative aspects of this project include its resource efficiency and green building elements. The project is also scalable, flexible and replicable. The use of off-site construction reduced costs and then allowed for rapid deployment on site when ready. The factory-built construction reduced waste, and recycled shipping containers and other materials. Further, by building to the site’s existing zoning, the developers avoided lengthy entitlement and regulatory processes that add time and costs.

Location: Aspen, CO
Developer: The Aspen Skiing Company
Partners: Eagle County; Sprout Tiny Homes