Silverton, Colorado’s future depends not just on preserving its storied past and grand landscapes, but on how the town grows to meet real community needs. As we continue to work steadfastly on the Greene Street hospitality project, one core question seems to remain present: What does genuine sustainability look like in Silverton?
Beyond Green: The Pillars of Sustainability
Sustainability here isn’t just about eco-friendly buildings; it’s about making sure the people who shape Silverton can continue to live and work here, year-round. For us, that means:
- Environmental: Using mass timber and prefabricated elements to reduce our carbon footprint and honor the town’s natural resources.
- Social: Creating gathering places and investing in local programming so both residents and visitors benefit.
- Economic: Growing our hospitality industry ensures that jobs and opportunities stay in town, making the local economy more resilient in every season.
Concretely, the hotel can serve as a platform for local producers by acting as a venue for local food, goods, and culture. In essence, we aim for integration with local area businesses and reduction of broader project impact.
Reframing the Challenge of Workforce Housing
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Silverton, you know workforce housing isn’t about commuting - our mountain passes make that nearly impossible for hospitality staff. It’s simple: to keep Silverton vibrant, the people making this place special need to be able to live here. Without viable housing, businesses struggle to find staff, families can’t put down roots, and sustaining a vibrant year-round community in town remains difficult.
Perhaps hospitality can be one of the community’s best stewards in this regard. We're wondering, what if responsible hotels and restaurants owners and operators could help pioneer new models for housing solutions? By collaborating with local partners and learning from both global practices and local wisdom, the hospitality sector can play a role in strengthening Silverton’s year-round social fabric.
Looking Forward: Global Ideas. Local Action.
Throughout this project, we’re guided by the conviction that Silverton deserves both world-class expertise and deep local respect. Our team, blending international design perspectives, expertise in sustainable engineering, and genuine community involvement, seeks to honor this balance at every step.
Sustainable hospitality in mountain towns isn’t about checking boxes or following trends. It’s about engaging honestly with mountain community challenges, from housing to heritage, and committing to improve what makes Silverton so compelling.
If even a handful of projects in Silverton can show how hospitality, when rooted in genuine care and stewardship, can support both people and place, perhaps we set a new standard for what responsible mountain-town development can be.
