Giddy Up - The Agency Aspen Hosts First Build Day with Giveback Homes

July 12th, 2021

Repost from The Agency Blog

The Agency Aspen headed for the hills, teaming up with charity partner Giveback Homes for our first Build Day in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Agency CEO Mauricio Umansky joined The Agency Aspen Managing Partner Heather Sinclair and team on Thursday, July 1st to work on a new, Net-Zero, all-electric community taking shape on the hillside above Basalt High School. The Agency volunteers spent the day in the Colorado sunshine installing the siding on new residences and completing the community playground, which won a stamp of approval from the very first playground visitor and her pup.

To address the affordable housing crisis for teachers and others essential to the community, Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley, the Roaring Fork School District, Pitkin County and the Town of Basalt came together in an unprecedented community collaboration to build the Basalt Vista Affordable Housing Community. Basalt Vista is providing affordable homes for purchase for 27 teachers and other local workforce families close to where they work to serve the community. 

Each Basalt Vista home is a labor of love built by Habitat construction staff, subcontractors, volunteers and the homeowners themselves. With no natural gas line in the community, this is the first all-electric, Net-Zero community in rural Colorado. The homes will generate as much electricity as they use, meaning minimal electric utility bills for homeowners.

Basalt Vista homeowners include teachers, school staff, Aspen Police staff, Aspen Hospital staff, a gymnastic coach, a Paralympic athlete/instructor, hotel and restaurant staff, an HVAC engineer, retail staff and Pitkin County airport staff. In late June, Colorado Governor Jared Polis visited the site to sign the Department of Local Affairs Innovative Affordable Housing Strategies bill, as reported in the Aspen Daily News.

The Agency works with Giveback Homes on its mission to bring real estate professionals together to pursue social good. Please consider lending your support to our philanthropic efforts at TheAgencyGives.com.

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To join the Giveback Homes movement go to givebackhomes.com. To donate and help build a home for a family in need, please click here. 100% of your contribution will go directly towards building homes #forsocialgood