When the Estes Park Housing Authority Board met on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, there was some surprising and fiery debate about possible changes in the proposed workforce housing development for the parcel of land at 179 Stanley Circle Drive.
The property, owned by the Town of Estes Park, has been slated for development for people employed by the Town of Estes Park. The Town had asked the EPHA to act as a developer.
During the board meeting last week, EPHA Executive Director Scott Moulton presented what he called a “modest proposal,” still in its “infancy stages,” in which the EPHA would take over the project and ownership of the land.
Moulton said there were barriers to the Town’s current plan. Concerned with the three stakeholders—the community, the Town, and EPHA—he asked, “Can the EPHA use the money and the land assets more effectively for the community than the Town can?”
The new proposal includes the Town conveying the land on Stanley Circle Dr., as well as $2 million to the EPHA in exchange for access to 12 already available workforce housing units, in which the EPHA would act as the landlord at its normal market rates.
“The town would otherwise have to find money to build 179 Stanley,” said Moulton.
In this proposal, the EPHA would have no immediate obligation to build town workforce housing units on the property. Instead, they would reserve 12 units for town employees in already available housing.
Moulton said that if the Town does not need one of the 12 units that the EPHA would give them access to, the units would still be open to the community and those on the housing waiting list.
“This arrangement would allow the Town to have access to immediate housing units, and there would not be a delay, and there would be zero expectation of our future development of 179 Stanley,” said Moulton.
“I’m confused,” said Eric Blackhurst, EPHA board chair. “I just introduced this project as saying that we are going to be building these 12 units for the Town. Now I’m hearing the proposal is the Town is going to give us the land and $2 million, and we don’t have to build it at all.”
Blackhurst added that the housing authority’s role is to “provide housing for low to moderate income and workforce on a first-come, first-served basis,” not to reserve units for people employed by the Town of Estes Park.
Moulton said that there were “additional operational concerns” about who would be given housing priority and when they would hold units upon notice from the town.
“At this moment, it isn’t a large concern that the normal turn of available units would be a detriment to either party,” said Moulton.
At this time, 56% of the 89 units at Fall River Village, a short-term rental property acquired last fall by the EPHA and converted to workforce housing, are occupied.
The EPHA Board asked Moulton and Blackhurst to meet with the Town Board to discuss the possible change in direction before moving forward with development plans or the transfer of ownership of the Stanley Circle Drive property.
At this time, an older single-family house on the property is used as a duty house by the Town for temporary housing for Town employees on an as-needed basis. Site plans have been drawn up for the property to show contemporary townhome-style units.
The next EPHA board meeting will take place on Oct. 8, 2025.