Telluride's Affordability Model

The current average price per square foot of a home in ski town Telluride, Colo. is $717, but local architectural firm CCA recently opened a mixed-use project to provide the town with affordable housing.

Designed to incorporate below-market rate apartments, communal living, and tiny homes, the Virginia Placer development is for Telluride residents part of the town's tourism economy. The project has 18 apartment units and 46 single and double-occupancy bedrooms, reminiscent of boarding rooms, with access communal living space and bathrooms. Telluride recently held an applicant lottery for residents seeking to live in one of the units, Curbed reports.

Units have soaring ceilings and large windows that look out onto Telluride’s mountains... Perhaps more unexpectedly, the complex includes three tiny homes, all with high, angled ceilings, large windows, and a spacious lofted bedroom. It’s a savvy solution that’s growing in popularity across ski towns, as they try to combat rising housing prices and ever-growing demand for affordable housing.

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