{"id":14502,"date":"2016-11-04T05:48:11","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T05:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/?p=14502"},"modified":"2016-11-04T06:02:39","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T06:02:39","slug":"14502","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vailvalleypartnership.com\/2016\/11\/14502\/","title":{"rendered":"Large support for 1A at final Housing Happy Hour (Boxcar)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Boxcar Restaurant (Avon) hosted the final Housing Happy Hour Wednesday afternoon. There was another strong turnout of local business owners, including Ef(ec), a local nonprofit started by moms to raise money for Eagle County education and its teachers.<\/p>\n

Each\u00a0of the Housing Happy Hours have had a good turn-out of locals discussing ballot issue 1A for affordable workforce housing. Many personal stories by business owners and their employees were told about\u00a0how\u00a0lack of affordable housing has impacted\u00a0them in a negative way; a\u00a0common theme for much of the workforce here in Vail Valley.<\/p>\n

Boxcar owners and staff understand the need for affordable housing. Co-owner Clara Luff shared that 90% of her staff chose to camp this year due to high rent. Fortunately, camping here has many of its perks in the summer. Another example for the need of ballot issue 1A to pass. Learn more about 1A (FAQ)<\/a>, but it’s not just the\u00a0Boxcar staff who have had to\u00a0adapt to the Vail Valley’s affordable housing issues.<\/p>\n

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Meet Cara Luff, co-owner of Boxcar Restaurants, whose\u00a0vision is to stay in the valley. She\u00a0wants to be a homeowner, a song that many local, working professionals are singing. Even as a business owner, she has to rent a space in Edwards for now.\u00a0Clara has had to share a place\u00a0with four roommates (not including her spouse, Scott) for three years now.<\/p>\n

Clara and Scott\u00a0have been looking to find another place for themselves for a few years now (without any luck).\u00a0She\u00a0shared, “Scott found a place in Edwards to rent that posted one\u00a0afternoon, not too long ago.\u00a0The very\u00a0next morning I called to find out more about it, and it was already under contract.”<\/p>\n

Clara said she is in full support of 1A and hopes it will pass.<\/p>\n

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Pictured here is\u00a0Gabby, who came to help her friends get\u00a0Boxcar off the ground and running. Gabby and her husband have\u00a0lived in the valley for a few\u00a0years now. After being told that their rent in Vail was raised and now unaffordable, her\u00a0and her husband were forced to look for a new place to live. Now, they must drive from Gypsum everyday for work because it was the only available and affordable space that they could find.<\/p>\n

Gabby wants to own\u00a0her own business and home someday. “I would like to start\u00a0my own business, but just like homeownership, it is too expensive here, unfortunately. So my husband and I will likely have to move someplace else when that time comes.” Another common song that is sung here. Gabby is voting YES\u00a0for 1A.<\/p>\n

The Housing Happy Hour discussions have been\u00a0informative and a good chance for many to voice their own personal stories\u00a0and ideas about\u00a0affordable workforce housing.\u00a0The community support has been tremendous from the local\u00a0workforce and business owners alike.\u00a0Thank you to everyone who came to discuss ballot issue 1A and the following\u00a0businesses who hosted\u00a0a Housing Happy Hour:<\/p>\n