County Briefs

County grants extension for Whetstone Business Park final plan
The Gunnison Board of County Commissioners granted proponents of the Whetstone Business Park a six-month extension to the deadline for submitting a final plan for the development on Hwy. 135 south of Crested Butte. The new deadline is March 16, 2010.

According to a letter sent from the proponents’ attorney to the county, the request was made because the original deadline would have required the park to be built at a time when “the United States economy and our local economy are facing unprecedented difficulties.”
By extending the deadline, the proponents are hoping construction can begin when credit is more readily available and economic growth returns to the local and national economies.
The letter also states that with the extension, the proponents will be able to gauge the progress being made on the East River Sanitation District’s sewage pump-back line. With the line in place, the park could tap into the system, which would have to be included in the final plan submitted to the county Planning Commission.
In addition to the request for the deadline extension, proponents asked the commissioners to consider amending the county’s Land Use Resolution (LUR) “to allow for multiple extensions or, in the alternative, one longer extension of up to two years.”
Whetstone Business Park proponent Mike Potoker told the commissioners it was impossible to predict the economic conditions during a project’s development, when the county’s process for approving large development can take several years.
The county commissioners said they would consider recommending to county planners a change to the LUR that would accommodate such extensions.
County doles out more funds for community-based organizations
In another round of funding for the county’s community-based organizations, the county commissioners agreed to release $5,250 from their discretionary fund to help the Gunnison Country Food Pantry cover the cost of rent.
The commissioners also agreed to pay $7,500 from the county’s linkage fee fund to cover the tap fees associated with a Habitat for Humanity house to be built this summer in Gunnison. The fees are required to connect the house to the city’s water and sewer systems.