Community Builders Summit to focus on shifting home-buyer preferences in recovering real estate market

Ever since the post-WWII migration to suburbia, the popular concept of the American Dream has always seemed to include a single-family home on the outskirts of town, but did the housing crisis change all that?

As signs grow that the housing market may be recovering, some surprising new data is showing that national home-buyer preferences are changing considerably as consumers make a shift toward multi-family units and walkable, pedestrian-friendly communities.

Are these national trends happening locally? This will be among many themes discussed at the Community Builders Summit at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs Oct. 25-26, hosted by the Sonoran Institute. Experts in real estate, land management, and development will be on hand to share new information about what lies ahead in the local and national markets.

Andy Knudtsen, Managing Principal for Economic & Planning Systems, and the Sonoran Institute will be discussing results from a recent study of local housing trends, which is exploring whether national trends for “in-town” development are actually taking place in the small towns and cities of the Rocky Mountains.

National trends will be discussed by Adam Ducker, managing director of urban development at Robert Charles Lesser & Co., and other topics will be addressed by leaders in the local, regional, and national development industry.

The event is $80 and open to the public. Discounted rates are available for non-profits and students. Partners include the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, the Rifle Regional Economic Development Corporation, the Roaring Fork Business Resource Center, The Downtown Development Authority, The Glenwood Springs Chamber, and the Rifle Downtown Development Authority.

For more information on the event contact Jillian Sutherland at jsutherland@sonoraninstitute.org, or call (970) 384-4364 ext. 4002. The event webpage can be viewed at http://www.tinyurl.com/communitybuilderssummit.