Towns of CB and Mt. CB in final development of master plans

Both Master Plan and Compass focus on regional collaboration

[  By Kendra Walker  ]

Both the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte have been working diligently to develop master plans that will help direct future decision making for each town. The Mt. Crested Butte town council held a joint work session with the Mt. CB planning commission on September 6 to go over the town’s Draft Master Plan. Additionally, representatives from the town of Crested Butte presented an overview of their Community Compass for feedback. 

Mt. CB Master Plan

Town staff has worked with partner Norris Design to develop the town of Mt. Crested Butte’s Master Plan, which outlines a path to increase affordable housing, improve the town’s existing multimodal transportation network, increase the vibrancy and vitality of the base area, expand access to essential services and guide responsible growth into the future. 

The Master Plan identifies Mt. Crested Butte’s four values, which includes access, community, stewardship and approachability. The town has established driving principles in alignment with those values based on feedback from the community, the town council and the planning commission. Those principles include increased housing options, multi-modal transportation, placemaking and vibrancy, responsible growth and essential services. 

Mt. Crested Butte’s Draft Master Plan is currently available for public comment until September 23. Then, between now and December, the town will finalize the plan, address comments gathered during review and then adopt the final plan. 

Crested Butte Community Compass

The Compass is a declaration of Crested Butte’s community identity and core values, a five-year strategic action plan, a decision-making framework to guide future town decisions, and a call and commitment for expanded regional collaboration. 

“We’ve been running parallel in doing our own master plan that we’ve branded the Community Compass,” explained Crested Butte community development director Troy Russ during the work session. “When we do a land use plan, a three-mile plan, transportation plan or a short-term rental ordinance that we’re doing right now, we would follow the process outlined in the Compass.”

Long range planner Mel Yemma explained how the Compass includes four key values that capture the essence of the driving principles and fundamental beliefs of the Crested Butte community. These include, “we are an authentic community,” “our community is connected,” “we are accountable for preserving our community” and “we are a bold community.”

The Compass then turns those values into actions with seven goals for the town, including approaching community challenges through active collaboration and engagement. Russ reiterated that the Compass puts a strong emphasis on regional collaboration. 

“There are so many issues that the town cannot resolve on its own and we need to have partnerships, with you all, the county, Crested Butte South as well as the City of Gunnison,” said Russ. “We want to create a shared regional collaboration. He noted the importance of a shared regional framework for land use, infrastructure and transportation, housing strategy, economic development and continued stewardship and climate action collaboration. 

Town staff will present the final Community Compass Draft to the town council on October 17.