Council approves one-year pilot to lease 10 workforce housing units at Residences on Grand

Glenwood Springs City Council unanimously approved a one-year pilot on April 16 to lease 10 units at the Residences on Grand to provide workforce housing.

Staff described a flexible deal that reduces an earlier proposal from 15 units to 10 to start: one two‑bedroom unit, one one‑bedroom unit and eight studios. Finance and HR Director Yvette Gostat told the council the lease includes a 90‑day exit provision so the city can test demand without a long-term commitment. “They also agreed to a 90 day out so that we can try this for 90 days. If we get nobody, we can get out with no penalty,” Gostat said.

The pilot would be funded from an existing $500,000 reserve set aside for affordable-housing initiatives. Council members asked about prioritization; staff said priority would focus on public-safety personnel and full‑time city employees with some flexibility to respond to demand. Councilor Schachter moved approval, Councilor Mary Poetem Silinski seconded, and the vote was recorded 7-0.

Staff will return at the second meeting in May with an update on tenant interest and program operations. The pilot is intended to be a low-risk tool for employee recruitment and retention and to test whether short-term leased units can ease local housing constraints.