FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2022
Master leases one tenet of Housing Master Plan
Eagle, CO – In an effort to combat the ongoing housing crisis affecting our community, Eagle County School District is searching for landlords or homeowners interested in renting their properties to district employees. Eagle County School District’s 2020 Housing Master Plan outlines ways to proactively address housing challenges and create opportunities to support recruiting and retaining employees. The 10-year road map features an end goal of 120 units made up of varying programs and partnerships. Securing master leases with local property owners is one approach covered in the plan, and will be a continuing effort the District will pursue over time. To date, ECSD currently has 18 master leases in place, and recently broke ground on its 37-unit housing project in Edwards. The District also has plans to develop other areas to meet their housing goals, including 15 lots at Maloit Park and the 3rd Street Habitat for Humanity Development with at least 12 homes at the southwest corner of the Eagle Valley Middle School property. Benefits of renting through the district include:
- Trusted background checks. All ECSD employees are thoroughly vetted for employment prior to being eligible for employee housing.
- Reliable payments. Rent payments can be done as a paycheck withdrawal and deposited directly to landlords from ECSD to remove any concerns of on-time payments
- Long-term tenants. Reliable and responsible ECSD employees provide landlords with year round tenants rather than short-term, monthly leases.
“For years, District employees have identified housing as one of the biggest challenges to living and working in Eagle County, and housing has only gotten harder in this valley,” said Superintendent Philip Qualman. “We hope that efforts such as this help us to not only find housing for our employees, but also help us to retain them for years to come.”
Rental rates and terms will continue to be at the discretion of the landlord and based on their understanding of current market conditions. ECSD is not requiring reduced rates, but rather looking for landlords that would be interested in leasing their properties to District employees.
Anyone with a property or shared room that is interested in more information should email housing-group@eagleschools.net.
Landlords that have current tenants in place are still encouraged to reach out about potential opportunities in the future. Learn more about Eagle County School District’s Housing Master Plan at eagleschools.net/about-us/housing-master-plan.