Stephanie Maltarich

When the town of Crested Butte declared a housing emergency last summer, it opened the door to new and unique solutions. The first action item on the list was to purchase a local bed and breakfast that was then converted to housing for seasonal workers. Converting hotels to create housing isn’t new, but it’s a trend that’s growing in rural mountain communities. Stephanie Maltarich reports for KBUT in Crested Butte.

Lining homes with solar panels is not usually what comes to mind when creating affordable housing projects in rural mountain communities. Yet, designing homes that can produce their own power is one way to keep utility bills close to zero. KVNF’s Stephanie Maltarich visited Basalt, Colorado to learn how one community collaboration created the first net-zero affordable housing project in the state.