Town details concerns with proposed developments

Lower Verzuh and Scenic Butte

By Mark Reaman 

The town of Crested Butte is submitting two strongly worded referral letters to the Gunnison County Planning Commission generally opposed to two recent development proposals in the North Valley. The council on Monday, June 16 voted with little discussion, to point out major concerns with the Lower Verzuh Ranch development as well as the proposed Scenic Butte development.

Lower Verzuh is located three miles south of Crested Butte and proposes 301 residential lots of various sizes on 450 acres. Most lots would be allowed to have an accessory dwelling unit creating the potential for up to 557 total units. Of those, the applicant is proposing to deed restrict 23 primary lots and 23 ADUs for essential housing.

Scenic Butte proposes construction of a new road up the base of Mount Emmons to four private lots with seven potential houses that ultimately overlook the Slate River Valley. The road is proposed for very steep terrain in a very high wildfire hazard area and the town notes that is prohibited under the County’s Land Use Regulation (LUR).

Lower Verzuh

As for Lower Verzuh, the town comment letter made clear the town is expressing “serious concerns” and the development underscores “the critical importance of the forthcoming 2025 Gunnison County Corridor Plan. The plan will be essential to establishing a coordinated framework for integrating land use, infrastructure and transportation along the Highway 135 corridor.

“The Lower Verzuh proposal is not a minor subdivision,” the town’s letter states. “The cumulative impacts of this growth are substantial and must be evaluated holistically and not piecemeal…as proposed, this project reflects exactly the kind of sprawling, auto-dependent growth the Compass seeks to avoid: an isolated pocket of mostly market-rate homes that are unattainable to most of those who live and work here and disconnected from the social, transit and service infrastructure that helps residents not just live here, but thrive here.”

The letter says affordable housing is lacking with just 8% of the proposed 557-unit project earmarked for that purpose. The town strongly recommends “a much higher percentage of deed-restricted housing” be required for this development. The town states that adding hundreds of new units without a clear transportation and parking strategy will worsen the problem in the North Valley. The town would like a “legally deeded access” for a Crested Butte to Crested Butte South trail for two potential alignments on the property.

Given impacts from future residents on Crested Butte’s recreation programs and facilities, the town is asking the county to require publicly accessible recreation amenities such as community trails, and a ballfield that are open for use by the entire community. The town also wants to be 100% sure that the East River Regional Sanitation District can serve the project’s sewer needs.

“Town recognizes the applicant’s long-standing ties to the community and the effort invested in this proposal,” the letter states. “However, the scale and impacts of this project demand a higher standard.” The town recommended that major entitlements not be granted until the Corridor Plan is complete. If considered before then the town wants to ensure the project makes “meaningful contributions to regional housing, transportation, recreation and infrastructure needs.”

Scenic Butte

In a separate letter to the county planners, the town expressed its “strong opposition to the proposed high-altitude development at Scenic Butte…we have significant concerns regarding the project’s incompatibility with established land use policies, its threat to public safety and the potential long-term impacts on our shared natural resources and community values.”

The letter states the proposal is in direct violation of the county LUR given the proposal to develop on such a steep slope in a very high wildfire hazard zone. Town contends the proposal violates county policy in terms of “safeguarding scenic resources, environmental quality and public safety.” 

The letter points out the proposal is opposed by the Crested Butte Fire Protection District given its road plan and location. The need to construct a private road across public U.S. Forest Service and BLM land also “raises significant concerns about the fairness and appropriateness of using public lands to facilitate private development.”

The town suggested such developments should offer, at a minimum, public benefits like ski and bike easements. But the town is more concerned with the substantial impact of the road from the viewshed that the town has worked to conserve northwest of town out the Slate River Valley.

At the June 16 meeting, town councilmembers expressed appreciation for the comprehensive nature of the referral letters and voted unanimously to send them to the county.