The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
By Kendra Walker
During the Mt. Crested Butte council’s May 20 meeting, town attorney Gerald Dahl presented the council with findings of denial of the Nordic Inn major alteration preliminary planned unit development (PUD) plan submitted by Pearls Management LLC.
After reviewing the Nordic Inn application over public hearing at their March 18 and May 6 meetings, the council voted unanimously to deny the application and directed Dahl to prepare findings for denial.
Dahl explained the reason for findings is to show the district court sufficient evidence for the decision should there be a challenge to the denial. “I don’t think we’ll see a challenge here,” he said.
Dahl noted that the council spent “eight solid hours in hearing” regarding the Nordic Inn application. He said the basis of sufficient grounds for the council’s decision include the Mt. Crested Butte planning commission’s recommendation of denial and specific issues raised by the town council, including impacts of the development proposed on the town-owned ROS-1 parcel, community housing units, fire district review and fire access, parking, traffic study and snow management.
Dahl also explained that the application is reviewed against the code requirements for PUDs. “The Council finds that the community benefit of the four community housing units proposed is outweighed by the impacts to the community of development on ROS-1. The Council further finds that the degree to which the Application places cottage units in close proximity to the exterior boundaries of NI-1 and NI-2 parcels, Code section 21-455 (PUD uses, density and height) is relevant to its decision.”
The council unanimously voted in favor of the findings for denial. “Now it’s up to Pearls to decide if they’ll submit a new application,” concluded Dahl.
