County’s Whetstone housing project public hearing January 19

Project up for potential sketch plan approval in coming weeks

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

The Gunnison County Planning Commission and county commissioners will hold a joint public hearing to consider comments on the county’s Whetstone Community Housing sketch plan next week. The meeting is scheduled for January 19 in the commissioners’ room of the county courthouse in Gunnison at 10:15 a.m. and will offer an opportunity for public comments from the community.

The county’s project team submitted the sketch plan for review in September 2022, and the planning commission has held four work sessions to discuss the project for potential approval. The sketch plan is the first step in the Gunnison County Land Use Resolution (LUR) process for a major impact project. The proposed project includes 231 residential units on a 15-acre county-owned parcel across from Brush Creek Road on Highway 135 just south of Crested Butte. 

If recommended by the planning commission, the county commissioners will consider the sketch plan for approval and potential progress to preliminary plan on the path to a final plan. Meanwhile, the project team is preparing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from potential developers to release this month. From the RFQ the team hopes to create a short-list of final contenders should the project be approved.

Beth Baker, a planner with the county’s Community and Economic Development Department, noted this week that many comments have been coming in and are being posted on the project website at https://whetstonehousing.weebly.com. The meeting can also be viewed online at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86337231015.