CENTRAL CITY – Several County officials attended the joint meeting at City Hall in Central City on April 15, 2025. The meeting was planned between Gilpin County and the cities of Black Hawk and Central City. No one from Black Hawk attended, though they were invited. 

Commissioners Hollingsworth, Berumen, and Aiken, along with County Manager Ray Rears, were among those present from Gilpin County government. The mayor and all members of the Central City Council were also present, as well as City Manager Daniel Miera.  

The meeting was intended to network resources, identify problems, and share information on various issues.

Tom Neer of Digital Data Services shared a GIS (Geographical Information System) Update. Community Development Director Rob Gutierrez presented a housing needs study.

Parcel fabric project

Neer said his work involves reviewing and restructuring all the parcels of Gilpin County to account for changes over the years, such as boundary line eliminations, mineral survey plats, and boundary line adjustments. 

He also mentioned the complexities of managing de-annexations and re-annexations of mining claims, which complicate the parcel fabric project. 

He said the subdivision revisions are about 90% complete, including updates to parcel lines in subdivisions like Mountain Meadows and Skydale.

Using records dating back to December 1861, Neer pointed out that several mayoral deeds and transfers of ownership through the years have complicated the job. “It can get pretty nasty,” said Neer.

Neer opined that Gilpin's parcel fabric will eventually have to be renumbered. “What we’re trying to do is connect all the information from the Assessor, the Clerk and Recorder, and the mapping,” he said.

Neer found that a surprising number of lots in Central have been owned by women, as much as 35-45 percent.

“It’s a giant puzzle and you just have to work on pieces here and there,” said Neer. “It’s neat, from a historical perspective.”

For more information, visit https://gilpin-county-gis-data-gilpincdd.hub.arcgis.com/.

Housing needs study

Following Neer’s presentation, Community Development Director Rob Gutierrez summarized the study on housing needs.

Gutierrez said the rental market is scarce, with only 8 vacancies currently available. Additionally, most households spend 30% or more of their income on housing.

The discussion outlined allowing smaller residential units and middle housing types, creating a dedicated housing infrastructure fund, and updating intergovernmental agreements to streamline housing development processes. 

The County has committed to building 18 affordable housing units in order to be eligible for funding under Prop 123. This commitment is crucial, as it allows access to various funding sources for affordable housing projects.

If the County does not fulfill its commitment, it could be locked out of the three-year funding cycle. The County’s fulfillment is also a prerequisite for any municipality within the county to receive funding from this source. 

The group discussed the potential establishment of a housing authority to manage affordable housing programs, perhaps with Nederland and Lyons. 

The next steps involve forming a workgroup to discuss goals and strategies. The group recommended connecting with developers to identify their needs for utilities, financing, and deed-restricted builds.

Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey recommended conversations with the sanitation district to see if service could be provided outside the annexed areas of the cities.

To summarize, much more must be done, but County and City officials are diligently working toward Gilpin County's housing goals.