NEDERLAND, Colo. — The popularity of Nederland brings challenges to residents of the mountain town.
During our trip last week, Denver7 | Your Voice listened to residents about the struggles they are facing, from a lack of affordable housing to high costs of groceries. To help those who call this area home, Denver7 | Your Voice is highlighting the resources and support available in the community.
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Tungsten Village is within walking distance of downtown and features 26 units of affordable housing. Currently, there is one vacancy in the building — a three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit.
Susana Lopez-Baker, the executive director of the Boulder County Housing Authority, said they are aware of the need for affordable housing and have four properties in town. She said the Boulder County voters addressed the need for affordable housing by passing the Affordable and Attainable Housing Tax in 2023.
"What we know is that affordable housing is an issue across Boulder County, and the residents really believe in supporting it. We've seen several failed initiatives statewide here in Colorado, so we are so proud to be one of the only housing taxes that has passed in the last few years," Lopez-Baker said.
Looking to the future, Lopez-Baker said they are working with the town to identify properties for future developments, including affordable homeownership options.
"We actually will seek funding for 2026 for our project here in Nederland and beyond that," said Lopez-Baker. "Every year we get to add more and more, so it's like I said, keeping kind of the gaps filled, which is so important to affordable housing, and just having available flexible cash on hand makes all the difference when putting a project together."
Town leaders are also tasked with balancing the opinions of residents who do not want to see construction or change. Lopez-Baker said designers made sure that Tungsten Village fit in with the surrounding area.
"I think if you look at this property, it just fits in aesthetically," she said. "We really do care about what the exterior looks like, the different colors. We want them to blend in with all of the trees and the fall colors that you'll see over the next several weeks. But it's also 26 units; we don't think it looks like 26 units. I think it fits right into the neighborhood aesthetics, that's very important to us."
A couple of blocks from Tungsten Village is the Nederland Food Pantry, which serves community members fresh and local produce from the county. Tom Mahowald is the pantry's board chair and sees firsthand the growing need in the community.
"I'd say we're up 35% year on year," said Mahowald. "It's been startling how many people are coming back, reactivating, that haven't been around for a while. We take care of everybody to the extent that we can."
The food pantry shelves are filled with dry goods and toiletries, while the fridges have meat and fresh vegetables. Mahowald explained the importance of providing fresh ingredients and being a beacon of hope to the town.
"It's hard to see, and you really have to pay attention and get super resourceful in terms of where am I going to get the money for this. We're about a $300,000 a year operation," explained Mahowald. "A lot of the tried and true money that came from the state and from Boulder County is not going to be coming going forward. It has been cut substantially. So we've gone back to some of our donors and found some new donors."
Besides the food pantry, Mahowald pointed out other services that are available to the community, including the clothing closet, which offers gently used clothes, and the gardens where people can help grow their own fresh produce.
While there are needs in Nederland, Denver7 | Your Voice learned the community always steps up to take care of each other when times get tough.
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
