fbpx

Tag: Donnelly

Colorado couple buys Boulder Creek Inn in Donnelly

A Colorado family bought the Boulder Creek Inn in Donnelly. Photo courtesy of Crystal Investment Property.
A Colorado family bought the Boulder Creek Inn in Donnelly. Photo courtesy of Crystal Investment Property.

Longtime Colorado hotel owners acquired the 43-room Boulder Creek Inn in Donnelly on July 1.

Chris and Annette Szczelina had owned the 35-room Aspenalt Lodge in Basalt, Colo., near Aspen for 20 years. Before that, Chris Szczelina’s parents had owned that property.

“We were looking at doing something on our own,” Chris Szczelina said.

The two took a road trip through Idaho, Oregon and Washington looking for hotels for sale and the first one they considered was Boulder Creek Inn.

Annette and Chris Szczelina
Annette and Chris Szczelina

“We like the more low-key, down-to-earth atmosphere down there in Donnelly,” Chris Szczelina said.

He said Donnelly reminds him of Basalt 20 years ago. The pair said they were saddened by what he described as “the Aspenization” of Basalt. Aspenalt used to attract families as guests, but now, Chris Szczelina said, guests are “people who want the Aspen experience without paying top dollar.”

“We never catered to that kind of clientele,” he said.

The Szczelinas have moved to Donnelly and bought a house, and their children are enrolled in Donnelly Elementary School.

They will continue to own the Aspenalt Lodge until they find an owner, Chris Szczelina said.

Boulder Creek Inn and the eight-room Long Valley Motel are the only hotel/motels in Donnelly.

Crystal Investment Property of Portland, Ore., facilitated the transaction.

The Szczelinas have already added WiFi and started continental breakfast service. They plan to upgrade rooms with new bedding and furniture.

The Boulder Creek Inn was built in 2004. The sale price was not disclosed.

 

Affordable housing is underway in Donnelly

Northwest Passage Apartments construction began in January in Donnelly. Photo courtesy of Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp.
Northwest Passage Apartments construction began in January in Donnelly. Photo courtesy of Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp.

A 36-unit affordable housing apartment complex started construction in Donnelly in January with an expected completion in November.

Northwest Passage Apartments will have 10 one-bedroom apartments with monthly rents of $426 to $603, 18 two-bedroom units at $513 to $720 per month and eight three-bedroom units at $675 to $800 per month, said Jess Giuffré, senior property developer at Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp., a Boise nonprofit developer and property manager of affordable housing.

Tenants will be people who earn between 40 and 55 percent of Valley County’s area median income. Four units will be market rate, Giuffré said.

“Valley County is an area that has had a need for affordable housing for many years,” Giuffré said. “There are a lot of people working in the service industry without a lot of places to live. This project would only capture 12 percent of the market.”

Northwest Passage Apartments will be affordable housing in Donnelly with 36 units. Image courtesy of Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp.
Northwest Passage Apartments is planned as affordable housing in Donnelly with 36 units. Image courtesy of Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp.

Northwest Passage falls within the four overall goals of the West Central Mountain Economic Development Council, the regional economic planning association in Valley County. One objective is to promote vibrant communities by supporting affordable housing options.

“In the overall scheme, it’s a really nice addition to the region,” said Andrew Mentzer, the council’s executive director. ”It definitely serves a specific need. There is a tremendous need for affordable housing.”

The Housing Company, the Boise nonprofit that builds affordable housing across Idaho, built The Springs I and The Springs II in McCall in 2011 and 2016 with a combined 72 units.

Northwest Real Estate, which will own Northwest Passage, is co-developing the property with VCD LLC, which also built the Trailwinds Apartments affordable housing in Garden City. The VCD partners are Chance Hobbs, Vince Spagnolo and Doug Crowther.

CSHQA in Boise was the architect. CSDI Construction in Boise is the general contractor.

The $8 million project is funded with $6.6 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits purchased by Boston Capital, $1.242 million from Bonneville Multifamily Capital in Salt Lake City and a $58,000 loan from Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp., Giuffré said.

Gold Fork River Bridge will be replaced near Donnelly

A new bridge will replace the Gold Fork River Bridge on Idaho 55. Photo courtesy of Idaho Transportation Department.
A new bridge will replace the Gold Fork River Bridge on Idaho 55. Photo courtesy of Idaho Transportation Department.

Work has begun on a new Gold Fork River Bridge on Idaho 55 south of Donnelly. The new bridge is expected to open in fall, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

ITD is first building a temporary bridge to enable traffic to continue uninterrupted through the project. There will be occasional lane closures with flaggers directing traffic during the course of the entire project.

The current bridge dates from 1951 and has outlived its design life, ITD spokeswoman Jennifer Gonzalez said.

The new bridge will have wider 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders.

Concrete Placing Company of Boise is the design-build team for the $3.2 million project.