While some residents invite expanded housing options in Cortez, others are concerned about the impact of housing on the city’s green spaces.
Those competing interests were apparent at an open house at the Cortez Recreation Center Tuesday evening where developer Evergreen Real Estate Group unveiled further plans for affordable housing units to be constructed at W. Seventh Street and S. Chestnut Street.
The city plans for the 14-acre former site of Montezuma-Cortez High School to be divided between a housing development and a city park. There are disagreements about which amenity should receive more space.
Some attendees were excited about the housing development, which would provide 70 units of one- to four-bedroom apartments to low and middle income individuals and families in Cortez’s strained housing market.
“People are really crunched economically,” Councilor Kathleen Swope said. “We as a small rural community really face that as everyone else (does) and it would be really nice to have some relief for people.”
However, others were not so pleased. The city originally planned for a park to account for 10.7 acres of the lot but has reduced that to 7 acres, reasoning in an April 2025 statement, “because of a pressing need for housing, the plans have been adjusted.”
Justin Dennison, vice president of the Cortez Panthers Youth Football Board, said he attended the open house to ensure the future park space would not be further impacted by the housing development. The youth football program began practicing at the Seventh Street lot last year.
“We recognize that our community needs space to be,” Dennison said. “We just want to make sure the kids have a place to grow up in the sports that they love.”
Luci Phelps, an attendee who lives across from the planned development, agreed with the park concerns, noting the disparity in open space between the north and south side of Main Street. The south side where the affordable housing development is planned has two pocket parks. On the north side of town, residents have access to numerous green spaces including Veteran’s Park, Centennial Park and Parque de Vida.
“You can’t just keep adding people without adding space,” she said.
Parks and Recreation Director Creighton Wright said the city has no money allocated for the park portion of the lot, so while the affordable housing development is in the planning stages, the park’s development can’t yet be considered.
“The intent is to continue to grow the park amenities over time. I know the other question is: ‘what is the timeline?’” Wright said during the open house. “There is no timeline set at this point because it is all entirely based on funding. And we have no dedicated funding for the site at this moment.”
Preliminary plans for the housing development show 24 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units, 12 three-bedroom units and 10 four-bedroom units alongside a clubhouse and common areas. Potential renters would have reduced rent based on their income, which would need to be between 40% and 80% of the area median income. For instance, those qualifying for the one-person units would need to make between $27,280 to $54,560 per year.
Development is also slated to open jobs in Cortez as the Grand Junction-based company Shaw Construction, which plans to build the units, will search for local workers.
However, the development is still at least one year from construction. In August, developers will apply for low income housing tax credits to finance the project and will receive a verdict in November. If Colorado grants the project tax credits, construction would begin November 2027 with units beginning to lease in summer 2029.
“We're really putting this project forth because we believe that it will be able to win tax credits,” Evergreen Real Estate Group representative Javonni Butler said.
He added that the credits are highly competitive and could get denied this year, requiring the developer to reapply next year.
Andrew Yapp, a Cortez resident who arrived eight years ago, was excited about the development given his own difficult search for housing after landing a job in the area.
“There's definitely things that have to be worked through, but overall, it's great to see that people are working together to alleviate that housing issue,” Yapp said to the developers.
The city and the development group will organize another open house for community input on the project in July, after assessing feedback from this round. The date is yet to be determined.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
