Cripple Creek City Council waives tap fees for 2 housing projects, School District RE-1 building trades mini-factory
The Cripple Creek City Council is using the city’s residential construction incentive ordinance to make sure more housing projects get out of the ground. On Oct. 5, councilmembers waived $214,000 in water and sewer tap fees for two residential construction projects.
Matt Fochts requested $22,000 to develop three single family homes in the 400 block of West Golden Avenue. This amount included a reimbursement of $6,000 he had already paid in tap fees for a home currently under construction.
The second waiver was $192,000 for 24 townhomes proposed by Gibraltar Development at the corner of Warren Avenue and 1st Street. This is the largest tap fee waiver council has approved since it approved the incentive ordinance in 2021 to make home construction more attractive to developers.
The ordinance allows city council to waive all, part, or none of the tap fees. So far, council has approved all tap-fee waivers in total, but Councilwoman Missy Trenary asked for a work session to discuss how to determine when a project should get less than a total waiver.
Earlier in the meeting, council approved a conditional use permit to allow Gibraltar to construct townhomes in a C1 industrial zone. Building Official Ken Hartsfield said that the land, while zoned industrial, isn’t suitable for industrial uses because of steep slopes.
Applicant Michael Beattie said, because of stepped construction — fitting the homes into the topography — the site is perfect for what the company has in mind. It also harmonizes with surrounding residential zones where townhomes are permitted.
Hartsfield said C1 zones lack residential setback and dimensional standards, so Gibraltar will match the standards used in BB-residential zones.
In an ordinance on initial posting, council also waived $52,000 in water and sewer tap fees for the Cripple Creek-Victor School District’s mini building trades factory.
Superintendent Miriam Mondragon said the project is a long time coming. “Forty-six students are enrolled in the building trades program,” she said. “Many of them will graduate with industry-recognized certificates.”
The program has received $1.5 million in RISE (Response, Innovation and Student Equity) grant funds, but Mondragon said the money can’t be used for construction costs.
“We’re over budget, and anything we can save is our goal,” she said. “This program will not only help students, but it will also help improve the local housing market.”
Council also approved:
A resolution setting fees for short-term rentals: permit fee — $298; late application fee — $300; and appeal processing fee — $250.
A new one-year lease renewal for UCHealth to use the Cripple Creek Medical Plaza.
The renewal of the employee insurance program.
On Oct. 5, Cripple Creek City Council approved a $52,000 water and sewer tap fee waiver on first reading for the Cripple Creek-Victor School District RE-1’s new building trades mini-factory.