Commissioners approve Irwin sketch plan

35 conditions for approval

The Gunnison Board of County Commissioners approved the sketch plan application for Scarp Ridge LLC to expand its operation in Irwin, completing the first phase of the master plan review process by the county.

After the County Planning Commission passed along its recommendation for approval last month, Commissioners Phil Chamberland and Jonathan Houck had the option to approve the sketch plan as it was, approve the plan with conditions, or deny the plan at a meeting Tuesday, February 4.
Commissioner Paula Swenson recused herself from the discussion and vote because the applicant might commission Internet Colorado, which is owned by Swenson’s husband, to supply Internet service to Irwin.
Scarp Ridge LLC is a development arm of Eleven, the luxury backcountry resort operation that is pursuing the redevelopment of the area around the old Irwin Lodge.
The company’s plan constitutes a major change to the Irwin area, with six single-family homes and four other buildings, including a pavilion capable of holding 170 people. New mountain bike trails, a zip line and a kids’ village are also part of the plan.
Planning staff and Irwin residents have raised some concerns about the logistics of building so many, presumably luxury, structures in such a remote place. But one of the more sensitive parts of the proposal has been the reroute of the Scarp Ridge Trail favored by many local people for its relatively easy access to high alpine terrain and expansive views.
Eleven held to its position that the current location of the trail is causing the public to park, and therefore trespass, on its property. The public has for years accessed the trail through the property prior to the arrival of Eleven, with many people assuming it was legal to park at the old Irwin Lodge site.
The trail realignment Eleven proposed to the U.S. Forest Service would add length and vertical to the trail, which several members of the public objected to.
The trail is just one of several matters that need to be addressed with the plan before any development in Irwin moves forward. In its recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners, the Planning Commission included a list of 35 conditions for approval.
One of those conditions is for Scarp Ridge LLC to pursue a more detailed preliminary plan within a year of the approval of the county commissioners’ vote on the sketch plan.
The preliminary plan process will dig into the details of the company’s proposal and allow for more public comment on the plan.
But, comfortable with the amount of public comment already received, Chamberland and Houck agreed with the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Scarp Ridge LLC’s major impact sketch plan for development at Irwin.