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In the NoCo

How Summit County residents are navigating the high country housing crunch

Javier Pineda Rosas is a part time snowboard instructor at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Summit County, Colo.
Stephanie Daniel
/
KUNC
Javier Pineda Rosas is a part time snowboard instructor at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Summit County, Colo.

The newest season of KUNC's The Colorado Dream podcast is exploring how our state's housing crunch is affecting mountain communities. In Summit County, the situation is especially dire. Housing was already in short supply there due in part to the region's high construction costs and relative shortage of buildable land. Meanwhile, the recent explosion in short-term rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, has drastically cut the number of homes that would be available as long-term rentals for locals. A recent survey of residents suggests the county will need more than 2,500 rental and for-sale units — at all price points — to meet the high demand for housing.

In today's episode, we talk with Stephanie Daniel, host and creator of The Colorado Dream: Housing Wanted, for more about how Summit County officials are addressing the housing crunch there.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.