The City of Grand Junction has acquired the 21.78-acre "Salt Flats" property, marking a significant step in addressing the community’s critical need for affordable housing. This acquisition responds to the growing housing crisis and supports local workforce stability by enabling housing developers to provide housing opportunities for families and individuals at various income levels.
The City received a $2.2 million Proposition 123 grant from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) Land Banking Program, which funded, in part, the property’s acquisition. Additionally, the City provided a $1 million match to secure the CHFA grant. Further supporting the project, the City was recently awarded a $2 million More Housing Now grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to fund critical public infrastructure improvements on the site. These infrastructure investments will further reduce development costs, ensuring affordability for future residents.
The Salt Flats project is intended to support the creation of between 324 and 500 housing units, offering a mix of rental and homeownership opportunities with a primary focus on affordable and attainable housing. Considerations for mixed-use, commercial, and market-rate housing may also be included. The City will partner with non-profit and for-project housing developers to construct affordable housing units on the property.
This initiative directly addresses the housing shortage identified in the City’s Housing Strategy that highlights an urgent need for over 2,000 additional units for households earning under approximately $100,000, with an acute need for those earning under approximately $56,000. Included in the City’s adopted Strategy was direction of the city to consider allocating city-owned land or acquisition of land for housing development and investing in infrastructure to support increasing the supply of housing affordable to a greater number of city residents than the market is currently providing.
The City of Grand Junction has released a Request for Letters of Interest (LOI) seeking qualified and experienced developers to design and construct housing units on the site. Interested developers can access the solicitation documents on the city website or by calling 970-244-1545. Responses due February 21, 2025, before 2 p.m.
More details about the City’s housing strategies and this project can be found online at gjcity.org or by contacting housing@gjcity.org.