San Miguel County Regional Housing Needs Assessment

Understanding Our Housing Needs

Housing Needs Assessment Presentation

2025 Regional Housing Needs Assessment .

San Miguel County, in partnership with the Town of Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride, is working with the San Miguel Regional Housing Authority (SMRHA) to conduct a Regional Housing Needs Assessment. SMRHA has contracted EPS and RRC Associates to conduct the market analysis, which will describe the current need for affordable housing within a multi-jurisdictional area that meets the actual workforce demand in San Miguel County and will serve as a planning tool for future housing initiatives. This multi-jurisdictional region includes the Towns of Telluride and Mountain Village and San Miguel County.

Why This Matters

The previous Regional Housing Needs Assessment, published in 2018, requires an update every six years per Colorado State law. This updated study will include a resulting housing action plan and help guide our community’s future of housing vision in the region. It will also capture post-COVID trends that were not previously analyzed, ensuring that local governments can make data-driven decisions to allocate public funds wisely and build housing that truly meets community needs.

Preliminary Findings Presentation

The San Miguel Regional Housing Authority (SMRHA), along with the Towns of Mountain Village and Telluride and San Miguel County, received preliminary data for the updated Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) at the Intergovernmental Meeting on February 10, 2025.

Led by SMRHA and conducted by Denver-based consulting firm EPS, this assessment updates the region’s 2018 RHNA and will guide local leaders in addressing affordable housing needs throughout San Miguel County. EPS has worked with SMRHA and government staff over the last year to gather and analyze critical data for the assessment.

EPS has gathered multiple data sources, including:

Current census data
Regional salary and wage information
Analysis of the county’s existing housing inventory

Deputy County Manager Jarrod Biggs stated, “With changes in staffing at SMRHA before the holidays, our intergovernmental team has been engaging with EPS to finalize information and develop a presentation of survey results. We are excited to push this to the finish line and use this information to better direct our individual and collective efforts in the arena of housing needs.”

While the draft was initially expected in fall 2024, EPS experienced delays due to an influx of requests from other communities seeking updated assessments following recent Colorado state law changes.

The preliminary data was presented to regional elected officials at the Intergovernmental Meeting on February 10, 2025, at 1:30 p.m., hosted by the Town of Mountain Village at Town Hall, with both in-person and virtual participation options.

Click here to watch the meeting recording.
Click here to review the presentation.

A final draft of the RHNA is expected to be complete by early March 2025 and will be shared through government and community channels when available.

Community Survey

To ensure broad community participation, a mailed community survey was sent to 4,000 households in San Miguel County and surrounding communities, including Rico, Ridgway, Log Hill, Paradox, Redvale, Nucla, and Naturita. The survey, available in English and Spanish, was designed to capture commuter input as well. Recipients were encouraged to respond within 10 days by returning their paper copies with the prepaid return envelope or completing the survey online via the provided URL.

The SMRHA, the County and the two Towns coordinated a regional communications effort to encourage survey participation.

The survey closed on Friday, August 30, at 5 p.m.

**View employer survey results here.**

**View household survey results here.**

Project Timeline

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment is currently in progress.

To view a visual timeline of the process thus far, please click here.

Below is the remaining timeline for review and completion:

Draft Submission: The initial draft of the assessment is expected to be submitted in early April to then be reviewed by the municipalities.
Comment Period: Internal feedback surrounding the initial draft submission will be finalized by May 2.
Revisions: Depending on the extent of the revisions and internal comments, a final draft is expected to be delivered mid-May.
Final Assessment: After two rounds of feedback and revisions, the final Housing Needs Assessment is made available to the public.
Presentation: A special joint meeting with San Miguel County, the Town of Mountain Village, the Town of Telluride, San Miguel Regional Housing Authority, EPS and RRC Associates to present the report will be held in July 2025.

How This Impacts You

Understanding our housing needs allows the County and Towns to create policies and programs that directly benefit residents, including:

Expanding deed-restricted housing
Supporting rental assistance programs
Encouraging responsible development
Strengthening housing partnerships with local organizations

Next Steps

The County and Towns will use the findings from the Housing Needs Assessment to shape future housing initiatives. Community input is essential in this process. Stay informed and engaged by attending public meetings, providing feedback, and participating in housing-related programs.