Mt. CB considers North Village pre-development agreement

July 21 meeting to focus on town’s site plan priorities and financial feasibility

By Kendra Walker

Mt. Crested Butte may soon be ready to enter a pre-development agreement on the North Village, and to move forward their partnership with the North Village Associates LLC and Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) on potentially developing the 150-acre parcel on the north end of Mt. Crested Butte. The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council will discuss the next steps of their role with the North Village during their council meeting on July 21.

“We’ll have more answers coming out of that meeting, to see if there is a comfort level moving toward a pre-development agreement,” said Mt. Crested Butte community development director Carlos Velado. “If the council is comfortable moving forward, it will give certain assurances to the applicant that the town is on board toward the application process.”

If council says yes to a formal pre-development agreement, then North Village can start moving on the site planning process.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with North Village Associates and RMBL, Mt. Crested Butte has spent the year so far identifying its priorities for the site design. Through council discussions, MOU committee meetings and public open houses, the town has identified its priorities for the North Village to focus on: parking and transit at the Snodgrass trailhead; affordable housing; and a ballfield on the town’s 17 acres next to the property, known as Common Area F.

The town’s financial obligations with the project still need to be worked out, and feasible options will be reviewed and discussed at the July 21 meeting. One idea being entertained is for the developer to provide the town with raw land for no charge in the same area as a potential RMBL campus on the north edge of the parcel. The town could use the property for features such as community housing, parking or a transit center. This could help keep down infrastructure costs for all the parties involved. The town would retain ownership of its 17 acres near the current town hall.

“The MOU committee is putting together papers on how we can have potential funding sources and grants, such as a GOCO grant or Met Rec grant,” said Velado. He explained that the town also has two potential funding sources. A portion of the town’s admissions tax can be used toward transportation, which could help with the Snodgrass parking and transit area. The town also has its affordable housing fund, which could contribute to any affordable housing that would go beyond the town code inclusionary zoning requirements.

Velado emphasized that a pre-development agreement would be non-binding, noting, “None of this obligates the town. We’re not committing ourselves to things ahead of the process.”

Water for the reservoir?

A water reservoir has also been considered for the site plan, but the three entities are still weighing its feasibility, which “would be a large piece of that development and a very expensive one,” said Velado.

The North Village team met at the end of June with representatives from Vail Resorts, the U.S. Forest Service and Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District to discuss the water rights on the parcel.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort has a water right to the proposed reservoir for snowmaking, but has yet to share their intent or needs for the water in providing snow for the ski area. “We’re still looking at that as a potential for this project, but if it’s going to get built you’ll have to combine multiple parties and resources. A lot will have to be done in order to make it a reality,” said Velado. “As things continue to move along with the North Village, we’ll probably ramp up those conversations.”

Once the planning begins in the pre-development stage, the partners also intend to continue providing opportunities for community feedback. “Once we get a plan in place that we can actually show to the public, we’ll have at least one more open house,” said Velado.