The housing crisis is a serious issue for ski bums living in ski towns across America. Decent housing options for lower-income, service industry employees is virtually non-existent as second home owner’s continue to price out the large majority of these ski town populations.
Related:Â Housing Costs Skyrocketing in Summit County…Locals Priced Out of Mountain Towns
And while resort groups like Aspen Skiing Company are creating out of the box solutions to remedy their dire housing woes, Steamboat Resort is taking a rather simplistic direction– just stuff more ski bums into already packed housing units. Because?– they’re ski bums…
With 6 ski bums living in the same 860 sq ft unit, each ski bum would have roughly 143 sq ft per person at $225/month.
According to the Steamboat Today, the resort is hoping to fit 6 occupants in their meagerly sized, employee housing units known as The Ponds. Steamboat Resort representatives had high hopes that a planning resolution from 1990 would allow them to house 6 people per unit but that move would violate current city housing codes. The Steamboat Today article states that Steamboat Resort had previously neglected such codes and in some instances had six people per unit last season after adding bunk beds to some of the apartments.
Is 6 beds too many for one room at @skisteamboat's housing complex, The Ponds? The city thinks so. https://t.co/FefXO992M0 #steamboatresort #skisteamboat pic.twitter.com/3I1SCTct1N
— Steamboat Pilot & Today (@steamboatpilot) November 16, 2017
In order to be able to stuff ski bums accordingly, Steamboat Resort would have to apply for a dormitory designation, something that may not be compatible with the current employee housing layout.
The average Ponds unit is approximately 860 sq ft, which would break down to roughly 143 sq ft. per tenant at $255/month. Upon initial inspection, Steamboat’s Fire Chief said a dorm designation would likely work.
Find the entire Steamboat Today article here:Â City disagrees with Steamboat Ski Area over occupancy limit at employee housing complex