Garfield County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a key step for the proposed Aster Place affordable housing project in Parachute, signing letters required to move forward with construction that confirm the development won’t impact archaeological or historic resources.

The 58-unit project, planned within the Battlement Mesa Planned Unit Development (PUD), would be the area’s first affordable housing development and may receive eight project-based vouchers through the Garfield County Housing Authority. 

Located on approximately 6.38 acres of vacant land on Five Stone Quarry Road in Parachute, the development will include a total of 58 residential units ranging from one to three bedrooms. The site will feature one two-story building and one three-story building, a clubhouse, a pavilion with a playground and a 97-space parking lot. According to a memo from the Garfield County Community Development Department, the unit mix will include 14 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units.

The development will offer a broad range of affordability. Eight units will be reserved for households earning 30% of the area median income (AMI), five for those earning 40%, four for those at 50% and fifteen each for those making 60% and 70%. Eleven units will be available to households earning up to 80% of the AMI. 

AMI refers to the median income level in a specific area, meaning half of the region’s households earn more than 100% AMI and half earn less. According to the 2025 AMI limit tables, 100% AMI for a one-person household in Garfield County is $73,950. The 80% AMI limit is $59,150 for one person and $67,600 for two people. 

“As mentioned, these particular units are 30% (AMI), but 100% of the 58 units that we are building out there will fall as affordable,” Rusty Snow, a project partner with Lincoln Avenue Communities, told commissioners Monday. “Obviously, there’s a wider range all the way up to 80 and down to 30, but we do have half the property at 50% AMIs or below, which is a great thing for the county and for Parachute and Battlement Mesa. 

“This would be the first affordable deal in that Battlement PUD slash Parachute area, so we’re very excited about it,” he added. 

The Garfield County Housing Authority, which is also serving as the project’s Special Limited Partner, is expected to allocate eight project-based vouchers to Aster Place. 

Project-based vouchers are tied to specific housing units rather than individual tenants. Landlords who accept these vouchers work with state or local public housing agencies to rent to low-income individuals. The vouchers cover the gap between the tenant’s contribution — 30% of their monthly income —  and the total cost of rent and utilities for the unit, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 

As part of the approval process, the project underwent an environmental assessment, including an archaeological report to evaluate the potential presence of cultural resources on the site. 

Commissioners on Monday signed 10 letters addressed to the State Historic Preservation Office and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer confirming that the project will not impact archaeological resources or historic architecture.

 The letters were requested by Garfield County Housing Authority Executive Director Cheryl Strouse, Snow and Lincoln Avenue Capital, whose subsidiary, Lincoln Avenue Communities, focuses on investing in affordable housing initiatives across 28 states. 

While these letters are a routine part of the environmental review process for project-based vouchers, their approval moves Aster Place closer to the next phase of development. 

“This is just one part of the process,” Snow said. “We’ve got a whole lot of other parts that have been going on simultaneously, so this is just one of the last pieces to get a permit and start building here in the relatively short term.”