- Project Type: Multi Family, Affordable Community
- Location: Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte, Colorado, has very limited land on which to build additional housing, so when a parcel on a former landfill at the edge of town became available, the town wanted to explore the possibilities. Caddis was hired to do a housing study for affordable, workforce housing on the Slate River subdivision site. The result was an elegant solution to a challenging site.
The site came with numerous challenges that Caddis was able to address. The fact that the site included an old landfill meant the need for environmental remediation and the regulation that the builder could dig only four feet into the ground. The hill behind the units restricted what could be built on the parcel. There were rules concerning snow storage as well as very high energy- efficiency goals. And to top it off, though the parcel was not in the historic downtown district, it still fell under the guidelines of architectural regulations.
The aim was to maximize the site for housing despite all these constraints. Caddis participated in community engagement with town residents, sessions that were well attended. That added another layer of complexity to the design, as residents wanted to retain the quirky, fun spirit of Crested Butte.
Caddis was up to the task of creating beauty in spite of all these challenges. Our creative solutions made possible the elegant layout of multiple buildings, usable open space, outdoor common amenities, storage for gear, and private outdoor spaces for units. With 59 units on just shy of 2 acres, the final study showed what was possible with some creative ingenuity – all while working within historic guidelines.
