Housing isn’t just about roofs and walls. It’s about building strong communities and ensuring our neighbors can live, work, and grow in this beautiful valley we call home. This week, we’re proud to announce a key step forward in making that vision a reality by awarding a $100,000 grant to the Whetstone Community Housing project.
Nestled three miles south of Crested Butte, the Whetstone project is a critical investment in the future of affordable housing in the Gunnison Valley. Once complete, the Whetstone neighborhood will provide homes to hundreds of local individuals and families who live and work here. With the support of this grant, the Whetstone project will continue moving forward with the County’s largest affordable housing project to date, slated to offer 252 rental units by 2027.
The Whetstone project will create crucial infrastructure by providing stable and affordable housing that helps to maintain the diversity of our community. VHF is excited to support Gunnison County’s Whetstone project with a grant from its Partner Support Program.
The County applied to VHF’s Partner Support Program earlier this year, and a committee reviewed the application based on criteria including alignment with regional housing needs, commitment to sustainability and accessibility, and likelihood of success, among other factors.
A large check was presented at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22. During the meeting, Assistant County Manager Cathie Pagano shared her gratitude for the collaborative efforts of local organizations in addressing the housing crisis.
Gunnison County is thrilled to have support from the Valley Housing Fund. Housing is an incredibly challenging issue, and it will take all of us, local governments, nonprofits, businesses, and community members, to make more housing a reality in our community. The Valley Housing Fund works to support our community’s housing needs through funding, advocacy, and engagement, and we are grateful to them for that incredibly important work.
This grant reflects VHF’s ongoing commitment to helping make affordable housing a reality across the valley. By providing timely funding like this grant, we aim to accelerate construction timelines and ensure high-quality development that benefits the entire community. As the Whetstone project develops, we look forward to seeing its impact on the people who make our community thrive.