Polis' Summit County Land Sale Bill Passes Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

Press Release

Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) today praised the passage of a bill he penned--H.R. 2337 the Lake Hill Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act--in the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote on October 29, 2013.

"I am pleased that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has advanced The Lake Hill Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act and I urge prompt passage in the full Senate," said Rep. Polis. "This bill is the product of a community-driven effort to create additional affordable housing opportunities in Summit County while helping the U.S. Forest Service improve and maintain its facilities. This measure will contribute to community growth and economic prosperity."

H.R. 2337 conveys a 40-acre parcel in the White River National Forest known as the Lake Hill Site to Summit County, Colorado. Proceeds from the sale will support much needed U.S. Forest Service facility improvement and maintenance.

The Lake Hill Site was selected for this sale because the property has lost its National Forest character. The parcel is isolated from other U.S. Forest Service land, sitting between I-70 to the north, Dillon Dam Road to the south, and condominiums to the west. The parcel was heavily logged and is home to unsightly infrastructure. As a result it is no longer suitable for wildlife habitat or recreation purposes.

Fortunately, the Lake Hill parcel can serve a greater community purpose as a site for affordable housing. There is a critical need for additional affordable housing to meet the demands of the county's workforce--a need that will only become more urgent with time. During the winter, approximately one third of the workforce has to commute into the county because local housing prices are too high for residents to live near where they work. The Lake Hill site is the perfect setting for affordable housing to allow those who work in Summit County to live in Summit County. The property is located in the heart of Summit County between the towns of Frisco and Dillon and near free public transit.

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