"Romer: Vail to host housing summit Jan. 14 — 17, will focus on action"

Chris Romer January 3, 2019

In 2017, Vail Valley Partnership and Vail Symposium hosted the NIMBY Jamboree. This event was designed to build on the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) pejorative characterization of opposition by residents to a proposal for new development because it is close to them, often with the connotation that such residents believe that the developments are needed in society but should be farther away.

In many cases, NIMBYs are the problem as they continually rally against "those people" living in their neighborhoods. This despite the fact is we are all "those" people. We need to continue to work together to not just oppose things but instead to be proactive to create a healthy community.

The purpose of the NIMBY Jamboree was just that: to create a healthy community through workforce housing.

Eagle County has experienced solid momentum since the 2017 program, with approvals of projects in Gypsum, Eagle, Edwards and Vail. We have a long way to go based on the most recent housing needs assessment, but we're on the right track with programs such as Vail Indeed and innovative public-private partnerships such as Two10 at Castle Peak in Eagle and 6 West Apartments in Edwards.

Given our momentum in housing and the continued need for more to help retain community members and support our business community, we are happy to host the inaugural U.S. Mountain Community Summit in Vail for three days of solutions-based presentations and panel discussions to address the affordability gap in resort-based mountain towns. The 2019 event will focus on workforce housing and kicks off at The Lodge at Vail and Donovan Pavilion Jan. 14 to 17.

In collaboration with APX1, Vail Resorts, the town of Vail, RCLCO and Vail Valley Partnership, the summit brings private and public sector stakeholders together from 26 mountain communities, including real estate developers, land planners, business leaders, policy makers and impact investors.

"We conceptualized the U.S. Mountain Community Summit to join private and public sector forces to address issues critical to U.S. mountain communities," said Natalie Spencer, the founder of APX1 and the summit's principal organizer. "The event is geared toward decision-makers and professionals who rely on healthy economies and communities to thrive in their given region."

The summit's goal is to provide stakeholders with actionable information, support networks and access to financing to help facilitate best-practice community building solutions. The program includes three days of solutions-based programing and networking opportunities.

Attendees include renowned impact investors, real estate analysts, workforce housing developers and key stakeholders from 26 mountain regions. The speaker lineup includes community thought leader Cameron Sinclair, impact investor Jeremy Keele, APX1 founder Natalie Spencer, Plant Prefab founder Steve Glenn, RCLCO Director Adam Ducker and Whistler Sustainability Director Cheeying Ho, to name a few.

Day three — named the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) Jamboree — will focus on Eagle County housing efforts, a "state of the union" report, panel discussions and an interactive roundtable discussion on how we move from "Not in My Backyard" to "Yes in My Backyard."

The event is limited to 100 attendees. Those interested in participating in the summit are encouraged to reserve seats in advance and tickets are available for Eagle County citizens for day three only. For more information and to register for the summit, visit the U.S. Mountain Community Summit Invitation link or apx1.co for up-to-date programing.

Be part of the solution as we will provide stakeholders with actionable information, support networks and access to financing to help facilitate best-practice community building solutions.

Chris Romer is president and CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce. Learn more at http://www.vailvalley partnership.com.