The Chaffee County Community Foundation, in a potential partnership with the Chaffee Housing Authority, announces a proposal to develop a half-acre site at the corner of Highway 291 and 3rd Street in Salida to serve local flexible housing and nonprofit needs.
The development, currently being called “Jane’s Place,” in honor of the late Jane Whitmer, is proposed on property owned by Jane and her husband Ron Ferris. Jane was a life-long champion for the Salida community and recognized the need for flexible housing solutions and nonprofit hub; the original concept for parts of the development came from Jane herself before she passed in 2019. Seasonal employees, visiting professionals, entry-level wage earners, families and individuals in crisis, and Americorps volunteers serving local nonprofits are the primary target populations that Jane’s Place housing will serve.
In a press release, the Chaffee County Community Foundation says that Jane’s Place is envisioned as an innovative and one-of-a-kind development, combining multiple hosing types together with service provision, nonprofit incubator and co-working center, and a social enterprise coffee shop. In addition to Jane’s original vision of housing for families, women, and children, the creativity and in-kind work of local architect Robert Grether has been formative to the creation of this concept.
Jane’s Place proposes four buildings including 17 housing units, and just over 1,300 square feet of nonprofit and community collaboration space on the site, currently zoned commercial C-1. In the proposed model, CCCF will purchase the site, own the land in perpetuity, and ground lease the land to Chaffee Housing Authority through a 99-year lease. CHA will then build, own, and manage the property as its first physical project. At its inaugural board meeting on February 18th, the CHA board of directors heard an overview of Jane’s Place and gave a formal OK to Director Becky Gray to pursue the concept.
The proposal will require a Planned Development approval with variances for the number of housing units and parking. The project intends to submit a formal application in time to be considered at the April 26, 2021 Salida Planning Commission meeting.
Chaffee County Community Foundation and Chaffee Housing Authority will be hosting two virtual public meetings on March 4th and 18th, both starting at 5:30 pm.
