Rural Homes at the Salt Flats

Rural Homes, a Western Slope affordable housing developer, is bringing forward new for-sale homeownership opportunities as part of the 21.78-acre Salt Flats Plan. This phase of the project is designed to help working families and individuals build equity and long-term stability by expanding access to affordable homeownership in Grand Junction.

The proposed plan features 48 lots: 10 single-family detached homes and 38 duplex homes, each with two on-lot parking spaces. The community has been thoughtfully designed to include a variety of housing types, with both alley-loaded and front-loaded configurations that create a dynamic and visually appealing neighborhood. They are also exploring the integration of a small-scale family home childcare centers within a few units to serve working families.

The Rural Homes project will serve households earning below 100% of Area Median Income (AMI), with long-term deed restrictions to ensure permanent affordability. See “Affordability at the Salt Flats” for more details on purchase price restrictions and income qualifications.

Who are the Partners?

Rural Homes: Rural Homes is a nonprofit community housing developer dedicated to expanding homeownership opportunities in rural and mountain communities across Colorado. With projects in Ouray, Gunnison, and Pagosa Springs, Rural Homes has a proven track record of delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes at attainable price points. Their model leverages partnerships with local governments, employers, and philanthropic organizations to bring forward for-sale housing that is both affordable and community-rooted.

To learn more, visit the “Meet the Development Team: Rural Homes” page (COMING SOON!) or their website: https://ruralhomes.co/

Rural Homes is partnering with Fading West Development, a Colorado-based housing solutions company that operates one of the state’s leading modular housing factories in Buena Vista. Fading West specializes in designing and producing high-quality, energy-efficient modular homes at scale, dramatically reducing construction costs and timelines while maintaining durability and design flexibility.

Through this partnership, Rural Homes can leverage Fading West’s innovative modular construction process to deliver deed-restricted, for-sale homes more quickly and at lower cost. This collaboration represents a significant opportunity for Grand Junction, as modular housing has the potential to transform the affordability landscape by addressing supply shortages, streamlining delivery, and ensuring long-term homeownership opportunities for local families.

What will it include?

• Unit Mix: Approximately 48 for-sale homes, including townhomes and small-lot single-family cottages.

• Workforce-Oriented Homeownership: Designed to serve households earning below 100% AMI, the homes will create pathways to ownership for teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, and other members of the local workforce.

• Energy Efficiency & Design: Homes will be built to high efficiency standards, lowering operating costs for homeowners and meets the requirements for the site set forth through the Landbanking Grant.

• Permanent Affordability: Homes will carry long-term deed restrictions ensuring affordability for future buyers, preserving this critical resource in perpetuity.

How Is it Being Financed?

The Rural Homes development will be supported through a blend of local, state, and philanthropic resources:

• Private and Public Partnerships: Development will leverage down payment assistance, below-market financing, and local employer participation to reduce costs for buyers.

• Proposition 123 Homeownership Development Grant: Funding will be sought to lower sales prices and expand access to households traditionally priced out of homeownership.

• City Affordable/Attainable Housing Incentive Program: The project has applied for the Affordable/Attainable Housing Incentive Program that provides Impact fee waivers tied to long-term affordability deed restrictions. Learn more about the City's program here.

• Philanthropy and Employer Support: Modeled after Rural Homes’ successful projects in other Colorado communities, the Salt Flats homes will also rely on local partnerships to strengthen financial feasibility and broaden impact.

Next Steps

The Rural Homes site is already incorporated into the Salt Flats Master Plan and zoned appropriately for for-sale residential development. Predevelopment activities, including site design and financing applications, are underway.

If funding and approvals align, construction is anticipated to begin in 2026, with the first homes available for purchase in 2027.

Why it Matters

Rural Homes at the Salt Flats will expand homeownership opportunities in Grand Junction for families earning below 100% AMI who are currently priced out of the housing market. By pairing affordable purchase prices with long-term deed restrictions, the project ensures today’s investment remains accessible for generations.

Particularly as homeownership plays a vital role in strengthening both households and local economies. For families, owning a home provides stability, the ability to build equity, and a pathway to long-term financial security. It often means predictable housing costs, a sense of pride, and the opportunity to pass wealth on to future generations.

At the community level, higher rates of homeownership support stronger neighborhoods, increased civic engagement, and local economic growth as families invest in their homes and communities. By creating more attainable pathways to ownership, we not only help individual households thrive but also build healthier, more resilient local economies.

Together with the rental opportunities provided by The Ascent and other partners, Rural Homes’ homeownership development contributes to the creation of a balanced, mixed-income community at the Salt Flats—one that supports renters, first-time buyers, and growing families alike.