Winter Park employee housing offers new ideas for Colorado resorts
When Michaele Ditzel (who works at the tubing hill at Winter Park Resort) moved from California to the Colorado mountains, she did not experience stress moving into housing.
That alone is not newsworthy, but the cause of that is. For years, mountain towns and the resorts in them have struggled both to provide affordable living situations for workers, as well as retain or attract workers who are able to commit to the lifestyle of living in an expensive vacation destination, while making working-class wages.
Winter Park Resort saw this and figured investing in their employees was going to be a smart move for them, the town, and the people working their slopes.
"I didn't have to bring a car, it's a super easy walk to work (five minutes), life is really simple for me because I have this housing," Ditzel said. "At least in my case, it is working."
Jen Miller, spokesperson for Winter Park Resort explained the two buildings (each four stories tall) were erected in a simple 18 months thanks to modular construction, and are placed within walking distance of the resort.
The combined total number of beds rounds out to 332, and while the building is open, it's still putting in the finishing touches to completion (the elevator isn't in yet, in at least one of the buildings).
"A lot of our employees are seasonal, so they do come, work for a season or two, some of them do stay, seasonable it is hard to find a lease for less than a year so having something like this allows us to fill positions a little easier and then also allows the workers to come and have a decent place to live," Miller said.
Ditzel's smooth landing in the mountains came as a shock to your reporter in the mountains Spencer Wilson, as it's so different than so many other stories of young working adults trying to find a spot to live in these communities. Miller said she's seen that struggle too.
"It is really challenging, there is the problem with inventory, is there enough housing? And then the affordability of course is a big factor," Miller agreed.
The Conifer Commons boast a mix of studio and single-unit rooms, with communal bathrooms and kitchens and while Ditzel referenced that it felt like being "back in college," Miller prefers to consider it more as "communal housing."
Ditzel believes this system has potential, and that the proximity to the resort, the elimination of the need for a car, and the community that comes with it are all things worth emulating, should other resorts be looking to provide similar housing opportunities.
"I would say if resorts can make this the norm, they should," Ditzel said.
