Green annexation proposal appealing to council

Just what is a carbon neutral neighborhood?

Members of the Crested Butte Town Council appear heartened on at least one aspect of the proposed Foothills of Crested Butte annexation proposal. During an hour-long work session on Monday evening, the council listened as consultants for both the developers and the town tried to explain the potential for a “sustainable, carbon-neutral” neighborhood. It will ultimately be up to the council to decide what that really means.

Making it clear there were still a lot of unanswered questions, the council appeared to like the concept of making any development on the land located just north of town on Highway 135 a “green” development. The proposed Foothills annexation is located on 68 acres surrounding the cemetery and split by the Slate River.
In a joint presentation, Crested Butte consultant Andris Zobs and Foothills consultant Dan Richardson outlined the green neighborhood concept. They started their half-hour PowerPoint presentation with what they described as the most popular definition of sustainability: “Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”
“That leaves a lot of room for interpretation,”admitted Zobs.
“We know what we want to avoid in terms of being sustainable,” said Richardson. “We want to avoid prolific use of fossil fuels, ecological degradation and the proliferation of unsafe substances.”
Zobs said the questions become “What is Crested Butte willing to accept, how fast is Crested Butte willing to accept it and what will technology allow without compromising quality of life?”
He then added, “Also, what are our opportunities 20, 50 or 100 years in the future?”
Zobs also pointed out that the council would have to make decisions based on economic, social and environmental capital.
Richardson said in terms of sustainability, the goal was to have a “net zero” development. He explained, based on Crested Butte’s recent CO2 inventory, that goal would entail focusing on the buildings and the transportation that come with the annexation development. “The first thing is to include the maximum efficiency,” he said. “Then we go to things like on-site clean energy production and from there to look at near-site and off-site energy production.”
“The priority is to reduce consumption,” added Zobs. “That means maximizing efficiency.”
Richardson said the Foothills wants to generate renewable energy equal to 100 percent of projected electricity and natural gas attributable to the project. The same goes for transportation. “The idea is to do things that reduce the transportation demand.”
Richardson said that while such a concept was relatively new, compliance could be monitored by either computer model estimates or compilation of actual data.
The two consultants tag-teamed on explaining how LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards could fit in with the development. Both emphasized that Crested Butte is a unique place and that LEED standards wouldn’t fit with every aspect of Crested Butte.
They discussed at length the idea of density and what was right for the area. “Density sets the tone and aesthetic for the expansion of town,” said Zobs. “It is an important and profound decision for the council and it is a delicate balance. There is no magic number. LEED recommends seven units per acre, which seems way too much for us. We all know Crested Butte is unique. The council needs to think of what framework it wants to establish as far as density.”
The two consultants both agreed that the neighborhood should exceed current town building codes in terms of energy efficiency.
Richardson said coming to a density decision was more of a feel than a science. “How do you responsibly protect the land?” he asked. “You start out by protecting the sacred elements like the wetlands or the rivers or the cemetery. And you use the rest of the land responsibly.”
The council appeared intrigued by the green development concept. “I like what you are doing,” said councilperson Skip Berkshire. “It is a great direction to help us frame an approach and I appreciate the direction. It appears positive.”
Berkshire asked the proponents to also take into account the unique aspects of Crested Butte. “We need to spend a few brain cells trying to develop a framework of the qualities that this community embraces,” he said. “The character and the charm must also be considered. It’s incumbent for the developers to do the right thing, not just for strict planning but in retaining the charm.”
Crested Butte residents Peter and Mary Jane Bridges have been on the record against the annexation and the proposed Sixth Street Station development.
“We believe these two developments will do serious damage to the status and character of Crested Butte as both a pleasant small town and a National Historic District,” Peter told the council. ”We believe that architecture and construction have a place in this town’s future, but that continued physical expansion is antithetical to the very idea of a prosperous and sustainable economy.”
Former Gunnison County Planning Commission chairman John Banker said he had started out opposed to the Foothills annexation but came to see it as an opportunity. “I think looking at this, providing affordable houses in close proximity to where people work and live is a good thing,” he said. “You folks have the power to say no to this and you have the opportunity to negotiate. You can do something for the community that no one has ever done before, and I strongly encourage you to push for a development with a lot of affordable housing.”
Both Banker and Bridges did express concern to the council about having enough water in the valley to serve the new development.
“We have discussed that and made it clear that they need to bring water for the development to the town before it is approved,” ensured mayor Alan Bernholtz.
“But where will they get the physical water?” asked Bridges. “Mars? I’m not being facetious. The best science says the mountain west is drying up and the supply of water is declining in the valley.”
Crested Butte’s Sue Navy said that while density can be a good thing, it has to be combined with clustering. “The upper part of their new idea plan still looks like there are too many houses on it. The southern part of the land is where the density should be clustered if this proceeds.”
Bernholtz also assured Navy that the town staff would compare any new plans with the Crested Butte Area Plan and regulations. “We’ll follow the same process we did earlier,” he said.
When asked if the carbon neutral goal was going to be applied during the construction phase of the project or just for neighborhood operations, Zobs said that was up to the council. “What is it the council wants to include in a net-zero concept? Where do you draw the lines? It’s up to them,” he said.
“As far as carbon-neutral, we are throwing out some ideas,” said Richardson. “This is our idea, but if the town has another idea, let us know. This is just a good way to start the discussion. Please give us your priorities.”
Chris Menges of the local Alliance for Clean Electricity told the council that whatever is approved, it should not increase the carbon footprint of the community. “The valley is looking for a 20 percent reduction by 2020,” he said. “To meet that goal, anything new would probably need to have a negative impact and not just be carbon neutral. And perhaps as part of the annexation fee, the developers could be required to pay to retrofit some things in town that would reduce the overall carbon footprint.”
Bernholtz concluded the meeting emphasizing that the council was serious about sustainability. “That is something important to this council,” he said. “We are committed to sustainability and carbon-neutrality. One question is how to get the community to buy-in to a project that is more expensive with up-front costs.”
Richardson said that was part of the goal. “We need to all redefine quality,” he said. “We need to change the parameters of the discussion, and there are many, complicated aspects to that.”
Given those complications, the council will hold many more meetings on the annexation proposal in the near future, but no specific meeting has been set.