From more than a thousand miles away, out here on the west coast, I’ve been following Pagosa’s workforce housing crisis. We have our share of housing issues, here, too.
I’d say, with the Pagosa Housing Partners (PHP) proposed workforce housing fee, which “would be collected on the operation of Short-Term Rentals” — as described in Bill Hudson’s editorials — there’s reason to hope the housing crisis, out your way, can be eased.
From what I’ve gathered, hearing about Pagosa’s housing situation, the PHP proposal would be a sharply-focused approach for generating a steady source of funding needed, long-term, to increase workforce housing.
Your workforce housing situation is particularly interesting, because it involves what folks can do, locally… what Pagosa folks can do, when the Short-Term Rental fee can be voted on, in the months ahead… and what a particular business model, in this instance, the Short-Term Rentals (STR) business model, has been doing, and is continuing to do, to a town like your town… and to communities, everywhere.
What the STR industry is doing, from what I gather, is exacerbating the workforce housing crisis, and changing the character of communities.
So, there’s a lot riding on PHP’s proposed ballot measure.
That’s it, in a nutshell… what seems to me, even from my vantage point, out here on the west coast, to be a good, constructive way to make headway on the complex challenge of getting roofs over the heads of Pagosa restaurant workers, and resort workers, and retail business workers, and others… and their families.
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.