Udall Asks for Public Input on Proposal to Use Excess Federal Land for Affordable Housing in Summit County

WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 31, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Mark Udall, who chairs the U.S. Senate National Parks Subcommittee, today asked the public to weigh in on a proposal to convey 40 acres of federal administrative land from the U.S. Forest Service Dillon Ranger District to Summit County. The legislation would help the county provide much-needed affordable housing in Summit County while supporting a new Dillon Ranger District administrative building nearby. Congressman Jared Polis announced this week that he will introduce companion legislation – the Lake Hill Administrative Site Affordable Housing Act – in June in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Colorado’s public lands are an indispensable part of our state’s economy. They create jobs, support local businesses and bolster our high quality of life. As important as these lands are, we need to ensure that they are properly managed and cost effective,” Udall said. “That is why I am proud to work with the local community to discuss the conveyance of 40 acres of U.S. Forest Service land to Summit County. The county is well positioned to develop this strip of land for affordable housing.”

The parcel of land, which sits between Interstate 70 and the Dillon Dam Road, is no longer suitable for management by the Forest Service.  The transfer would allow Summit County to develop the area to provide much-needed affordable housing near public transit.  The proposal has received broad community support, including from the Summit County Board of County Commissioners, the towns of Frisco and Dillon, and Conservation Colorado.

For more information about this proposal and to submit comments or concerns on it, please visit http://www.markudall.senate.gov/lakehill by June 30, 2013.

Udall has routinely requested public input on his public lands bills, from his proposal to create a Browns Canyon National Monument to his efforts to establish the Sangre de Cristo National Historic Park and his work to create the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Area.