Crested Butte Briefs

by Mark Reaman

Lights are on in the new Paradise Park neighborhood

Phase 1 of the Paradise Park affordable housing project has been officially completed. All 17 units, including the town duplex, have been issued Certificates of Occupancy. The final closings were set for February 5. Town community development director Michael Yerman suggested in a memo to the Town Council that they “walk down Gothic Avenue sometime in the evening the next few weeks. It’s exciting to see glowing lights coming from homes occupied on both sides of Paradise Park.”

Yerman said Phase 2 is well under way and most of those units are almost dried in. Occupancy of those units is expected to occur before the middle of June, depending on the weather.

Demo approval

BOZAR approved the first demolition application under the new regulations for the A-frame located at 729 Whiterock Avenue. The redevelopment plan includes an ADU that will be a long-term rental.

Stuff  

—Regular council meeting attendee Kent Cowherd suggested the council spend the remaining money from the ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) lawsuit settlement and purchase the remaining one-bedroom unit available in Paradise Park and use it as a rental. There is about $300,000 left from the settlement and the unit is being listed for $226,015. The town plans to put it in a lottery for home ownership.

—Mayor Jim Schmidt recently attended a Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) meeting and said the town should consider following the lead of Aspen in banning all flavored tobacco products.

—Schmidt also said he learned that requiring new construction to include charging station potential for electric vehicles in new homes is inexpensive (between $50 and $100) and should be part of the town building requirements.

—Council agreed to sign a CAST letter in support of state legislation giving local entities such  as towns’ discretion to limit the use of plastic in their jurisdictions.

—The marshals are spending a week testing out an electric patrol vehicle. The Tesla X-model is being put through the paces to see how it handles and reacts in a cold winter climate. It apparently can go pretty fast pretty quickly.

—Town staff is encouraging organizers of the 2020 pole vault event on Elk Avenue to schedule it for early June instead of the requested July 11 or July 18 dates. Town would prefer to not close the main thoroughfare of town during the busiest weeks of the summer.

—Town will be signing a collection agreement with HomeAway/VRBO to collect applicable sales and excise tax for the town.