Fort Lewis College recognizes the challenges of finding affordable and reliable housing in Southwest Colorado. As of February 1, 2023, two opportunities are available to assist faculty and staff in their homeownership goals.
More programs are in progress and will be published here when available.
The FLC Board of Trustees and FLC Foundation Board each committed to providing a $500,000 investment in a mortgage down payment assistance program for a total commitment of $1,000,000.
The FLC Employee Mortgage Assistance Program (EMAP) will make these funds available to qualifying faculty and staff. EMAP's purpose is to support employees striving for homeownership in Southwest Colorado but who cannot fund the “gap” between the available housing cost and what is considered an attainable home cost. EMAP will be managed through our administration partner, the HomesFund.
Your eligibility will be reviewed with the HomesFund to confirm employee qualification:
*Based on Average Median Income (AMI)
These are high-level reviews of possible individual benefits, loan options, and employee qualifications and will be confirmed by HomesFund through the loan application process.
Funds will be issued on a first-come-first-served basis, determined at the point of loan issuance.
For questions related to courses, loan process, mortgage details Lisa Bloomquist Executive Director of the HomesFund Email: lisa@homesfund.org Phone: 970-259-1418 x 5
For questions related to the issuance of the program Kelsey Deckert Housing Strategy & Development Manager Email: ksdeckert@fortlewis.edu
Two major hurdles in purchasing a new home in the area are 1) the need for more availability and 2) trying to purchase in a highly competitive market. To help reduce these hurdles, Fort Lewis College is partnering with the Agave Group for its Animas City Park Overloop (ACPO) development.
Six units, five two-bedroom and one three-bedroom units, in Phase 2 of 2 of the development, have been reserved for FLC staff to purchase and will be held until June 13, 2023, after which, the units will be available on the open market. All units are anticipated to be ready for move-in in the fall of 2023.
The Agave Group will also sell up to three ACPO units at a discount of $10,000 each if occupied as the primary residence of a full-time local worker or long-term resident of the community, defined as having lived here one year or more. Purchasing an ACPO unit will require a deed restriction on the property, which will prioritize the sale of the unit to another local worker. Contact the Agave Group if you're interested in this housing option.
The purchase of these homes will follow a standard home-buying process, and interested employees will be responsible for prequalifying, securing a loan, etc. Agave sells directly to buyers to reduce costs by avoiding realtor fees (buyers may use a realtor at their own expense.) Purchase of these units and use of the light deed restriction will be first-come-first-served.
The ACPO development is located at the intersection of East 2nd Avenue and East 33rd Street in Durango and consists of 22 all-electric townhome units adjacent to the Animas City Park and Multimodal Trail.
There are no qualifications for FLC employees to purchase ACPO units. However, those who qualify for the Employee Mortgage Assistance Program may use the program to buy these units. Download details of the ACPO layout and finishes (PDF)
The following information on Workforce Housing Units has been provided by the Agave Group:
To schedule a tour (available in April) or to purchase a unit Heather Dawson-Snead The Agave Group Email: heather@agavedurango.com Phone: 970-769-2951