Home is in the mountains for many, however finding a place to call home has been a historic hurdle for seasonal workers.

Mountain communities across Colorado have struggled with providing affordable housing to their workforce. The reasons for this struggle include the high cost of material and labor as well as the short building season.

However, Winter Park Resort staff felt that workforce housing was necessary in order to continue growing responsibly. So, after gathering support from organizations, they built it.

Conifer Commons is one of the largest workforce housing projects to be completed in Colorado, and it has officially opened this winter. Governor Jared Polis made the trip to Winter Park and toured the commons Jan. 12, giving his approval for the project.

This employee housing project broke ground in the spring of 2022 after community and resort leaders came together to help speed up the project. Partners in the project included Alterra Mountain Company, Saunders Construction, the Town of Winter Park, Winter Park Recreation Association and others. The project cost totaled approximately $60 million.

To be able to build and provide over 330 beds in a little under two years is an impressive feat.

The housing complex is located off U.S. Highway 40 and Winter Park Drive, near the main entrance to the resort. Employees living in Conifer Commons are just yards away from Winter Park Resort’s Cabriolet lift, which allows for access to the mountain base area.

In a press release from the resort, it states that Winter Park Resort repurposed and relocated a parking area in order to make sure that the complex was near the slopes and had access to public transportation. There is a Lift bus stop just outside the commons.

Jen Miller, public relations and communication manager at Winter Park Resort, says that employees work to serve guests and providing good housing to them is critical to that mission.

“If we didn’t take care of our employees in that way. We wouldn’t be able to grow in a way that is sustainable,” said Miller.

Miller acknowledged that affordable housing is a challenge for many employers and employees in Grand County and other mountain communities.

“Finding housing is challenging, not just in Grand County, but in all of the mountain counties across the state. But we need employees to serve our guests and providing good housing for them is critical to doing that.”

Building 330+ new beds in under two years

Faced with a short building season, Winter Park Resort was forced to get creative when building the Conifer Commons workforce housing project. The answer was in Idaho.

The modular units were built in Idaho before being shipped off to Winter Park Resort to be stacked into place. Each of the two buildings is composed of 96 modular boxes. It took approximately 60 days for both four-story buildings to go from foundation to roof installation after being stacked together.

“They stacked them in place, kind of like Legos,” Miller said.

Construction began in June 2022 with laying down the concrete foundation. During the 2022 winter season, the modular units were being constructed by Nashua Builders while most construction paused in Winter Park.

Having a skeleton built made it possible for the general contractor, Sauders Construction, to install electrical lines, plumbing and complete foundation throughout the winter. According to project leaders, Conifer Commons is one of the largest modular projects in the country.

There is a balanced mix between private and communal living in the Conifer Commons. Studio apartments are available for $1,200 a month and rooms two people, which are typically meant for couples. A single room costs $800 a month and these rent prices include utilities and internet.

There are also communal kitchens and social areas on most every floor. These areas allow residents to hang out and connect with their neighbors. Some residents said that this living situation reminds them of their time in college dorm halls.

Megan Soyars Van Hauen contributed to this article.