The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Trail relocation seems to be bone of contention. Public participation coming up…
The proposal by Scarp Ridge LLC to expand its resort activities and development above Lake Irwin is gearing up at the Gunnison County Planning Commission. A work session is scheduled for Friday, August 23, while a public hearing is on the docket for September 6.
The sketch plan proposal is a conceptual document outlining long-term plans for the property that sits above Lake Irwin, 12 miles west of Crested Butte.
The property includes 19 “lode mining claims” around Irwin. There are already 10 structures on the property, including the old 19,000-square-foot Irwin Lodge that was gutted by the previous owner. The new owners would like to employ the lodge in its historical context and utilize it as an assembly hall for weddings and a center for corporate retreats.
There is a proposal to also build a pavilion that could host large gatherings of up to 170 people. The pavilion would be used as an outdoor wedding venue, and an area to host music and theatrical performances. This pavilion would replace what was the Old Irwin Wedding Deck.
The submitted plan includes six new single-family homes ranging in size from 1,500 to 8,000 square feet. The residences would be used by houseguests and possibly as short-term rentals. The owners would also like to construct a couple of alpine huts and more storage. Two miles of private mountain bike trails are proposed, along with two zip lines and a “Kids’ Village.”
“The proposed structures and facilities will comprise a year-round commercial resort for families, corporate retreat participants and others seeking a remote, high altitude conference, recreational experience or vacation,” the application states.
While there have been concerns expressed about water, wildlife and overdevelopment, what appears to be the most controversial part of the proposal is the reroute of the current Scarp Ridge trail.
According to project manager John Featherman, the relocation would mitigate continuous trespassing by the public who drive up to the lodge to park and start hiking. The developers are working with the Forest Service to relocate the start of the trail just west of where the Irwin Lodge Road crosses Robinson Creek. They would construct and maintain a 22-vehicle parking lot, put in two restrooms and some signage. They would also build a new 4,000-foot trail from there that would intersect the current trail.
But several members of the public (see letters on pages 2, 4 and 6) have expressed concern over the proposal. They wish to keep the current 60-foot wide easement that allows vehicle traffic up to the old lodge area. While perhaps not being allowed to use the lodge parking lot, the citizens contend they can park on the road and start the ridge hike above treeline. If the relocation were approved, hikers would have to park lower in the basin and hike through a forested area. Vehicles would not be allowed.
Featherman said the property owners would likely not allow any more parking at the lodge, no matter the outcome of the trail relocation issue.
So, the Planning Commission is waiting on input from various agencies in the region and will take public comment on the proposal at a hearing in early September.
