 The concept of workforce housing has its early roots in the ski towns of Telluride and Aspen, Colorado.In 1974, in response to locals not being able to purchase homes due to the disparity between wages and the cost of homes and land rising sharply due to buyers from New York and Hollywood, a conference was organized at the Aspen Institute.In Aspen a plan was developed to create a secondary and separate "local worker" housing market which was based on local wages and affordability.