Frisco hopes to grow its number of workforce housing units to at least 306 by 2027. Getting to that number by deadline will involve several methods from buy-downs to state and county partnerships.

The town has five local projects working their way through the town’s approval process, with one being the two-decade long attempt to bring the Lake Hill workforce housing project to fruition, which stalled recently. The remaining four may have a shorter, clearer path ahead of them, officials say.

Granite Park

Granite Park, a joint project with the Colorado Department of Transportation, aims to provide the town with 22 new workforce housing units. Half will go to CDOT employees, and the other half will be under the town’s control. All units will be deed restricted at less than 100% of the area median income.

The project began in the Spring of 2020. The town entered into an agreement with CDOT to pursue development of the property. 

Both parties are working on finding a general contractor to break ground this fall, at the earliest. It’s anticipated that the project will finish by the end of 2024.

602 Galena St.

The town formulated the concept for 602 Galena St. during conversations with the county and members of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in August 2021. The groups wanted to see if the property, which is used currently by the state for office space, could be redeveloped.

While the town has yet to gain a controlling stake in the property, it hopes to formalize a purchase by September. Housing Program Manager Danelle Cook said the state may consider selling it to the town for $3 million. The town may consider an intergovernmental agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment at its next council meeting, Cook said. The county could contribute $1.5 million to the purchase, too, she added.

The town has its hopes set on completing the project by the end of 2027.

Staff members anticipate adding between 30-40 units through 602 Galena St., although no design proposals have been created yet. The town expects the entire project to be affordable housing, but the exact income requirements haven’t been shared yet. The property could contain work spaces and a childcare center, too.

810 Pitkin St.

Conceptually, the 810 Pitkin St. project was born this spring after the adjacent property, 406 S. Eighth Ave., came on the market. The owner of 810 Pitkin St. had reached out to the town about a possible sale, Frisco’s Community Development Director Don Reimer said.

The two lots, in addition to two nearby townhomes, could combine to create 10 to 12 units on .75 acres of land, Cook said. All units would be classified as affordable, Reimer said, but the exact income requirements were not shared. Zoning changes could bump the total number of units for the project up, Cook said.

There’s no timeline for 810 Pitkin St. and 406 S. Eighth Ave. since the town is in the early stages of planning. It just purchased 810 Pitkin St. this month and closed on 406 South Eighth Ave. through its Housing Helps program on May 31. Town council approved the purchase of 810 Pitkin St. on June 14. Staff anticipates construction to be completed by the end of 2027.

275 Granite St.

275 Granite St. has been a project in limbo. There have been several proposals over the years, with the most recent on in December 2019. None have panned out yet.

The 2019 proposal involved the adjacent property at 207 Granite St., too. The proposal for the combined project went through a year’s worth of discussion but ultimately fell short of a deal. Reimer said the town remains in discussion with the property owner and that there is mutual interest to continue with the joint project.

With no deal as of yet, there’s no timeline for the project, Reimer said, and little idea of how many units would be created. At Tuesday’s council meeting, Cook said eight units would be possible on the half-acre lot, but that number could go up due to zoning changes and combining it with 207 Granite St. to create nearly an acre of developable land.