Pitkin County Commission debates funding Rifle modular home factory
Gail Schwartz, CEO of the Roaring Fork chapter of Habitat for Humanity, presented to the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, April 1, seeking a grant of $1 million to support the construction of the new modular home factory in Rifle.
The factory broke ground in the last two weeks and is slated to be finished in early 2026. It is projected to provide up to 200 net-zero units per year, according to documents distributed to the Pitkin County BOCC on Tuesday.
The cost of the facility is expected to be around $18 million, funded through tax-exempt bonds issued by the city of Rifle. Habitat, however, seeks an additional $2.5 million to ensure the project is able to make it to completion — $1 million of which they are hoping to receive from Pitkin County .
The commissioners had concerns about the project and the amount of the grant that was requested. Commissioners Jeffrey Woodruff and Patti Clapper both emphasized this point, with Woodruff pointing out that the grant would amount to almost 25% of the county’s $4.5 million general housing fund.
“I don’t support this as presented,” he said.
Clapper echoed his concerns and added that, due to federal cuts by the Trump administration, she was not certain those tax-exempt bonds could be counted on long-term. Changes to their tax-exempt status could quickly ramp up costs, she said.
Commissioner Francie Jacober raised questions about fueling continued growth in Colorado, which could further strain the region’s water supply.
“I’m concerned about encouraging growth in Colorado,” she said. “I think that by making houses of this type and with this price tag, we are encouraging people to move here. We’re not just housing people who are already here.”
It wasn’t all opposition, however. Board Chair Kelly McNicholas Kury and Commissioner Greg Poschman support the funding request.
“I don’t think that the modular plant generates demand that doesn’t already exist in our valley, for housing the people that work here,” said Kury.
Poschman said he might be more amenable to supporting the grant if Schwartz came back with more local stakeholders who could financially back the project.
The resolution will be revisited in future BOCC meetings. Commissioners requested that Habitat RFV come with more details for a future meeting.
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