The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Commercial subdivisions face scrutiny
The Gunnison County Board of Commissioners will meet in a public work session on Tuesday, June 11 at 1 p.m. to discuss “philosophy on what is the proper fire code” for residential and commercial structures within the county.
In addition to the overarching discussions of fire code, the board will specifically be working to determine appropriate regulations for commercial subdivisions and large residential homes where water pumps and fire hydrants may not be present.
The Riverland Industrial area is of particular interest and concern, according to the commissioners. In Riverland, the fire district mandates that all structures be able to access water at a rate of 1,500 gallons per minute from a hydrant or pump. If this is not possible the buildings must be equipped with sprinkler systems often costing more than $100,000 for installation and maintenance.
John Nichols, a property owner in Riverland, said this type of financial investment is not feasible for many land owners, and in a meeting with the commissioners on May 28 said the situation could be fixed with the addition of an amendment to the fire code stating that “preexisting industrial subdivisions non-residential structures with an aggregate fire area not to exceed 3,000 square feet” be exempt from current regulations.
Gunnison County building inspector Crystal Lambert and the Board of County Commissioners will discuss this topic and others in greater detail at the June meeting.
