The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Public hearing set for September 2
By Mark Reaman
The Crested Butte town council will hold a public hearing on whether to require those holding the so-called “unlimited” short-term rental (STR) licenses in town to get an energy assessment for the rental dwellings. Such a mandate falls in line with the town’s Climate Action Plan. The energy assessments are estimated to cost about $550 and they would last 10 years.
There are 189 active unlimited STR licenses in Crested Butte and town staff is recommending that those built since 2017 under the 2015 IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) building code when energy efficiency standards were ramped up, need not be required to get the assessment. Staff did not have a count on the number of STRs that would qualify for that exemption. A copy of the assessment would have to be submitted to the town before the open enrollment deadline for license renewal of October 2026. The town would not be subsidizing or paying for the assessments but would collect the data gathered.
Staff is recommending that those holding the limited “primary” licenses be exempted from the mandate. Those licenses are limited to a maximum of 90 rental nights per year and meant to help locals add some needed income if desired. There are just 22 primary licenses active in town. Staff suggested the energy impacts on town were far lower than a more heavily used vacation rental.
“With STRs, I have a little heartburn that buildings being used in a commercial manner aren’t considered commercial property,” said mayor Ian Billick. “They are able to avoid some of the burdens that hotels, for example, must abide by. I’m not sure where I am on this issue yet, but that comes into play for me.”
“I’m interested in looking at requiring it for both licenses, including the primary ones,” said councilmember Anna Fenerty.
“The original intent of those licenses was to try and help local people be able to stay in town. I’m not sure about putting that burden on full-time residents,” said Billick.
“It goes back to requiring people to do things that I’m not super comfortable with,” said councilmember John O’Neal. “The real issue is what will they do with it when they get the information.”
“I’m more comfortable putting the burden of data collection more on STRs than residential owners,” said Billick. “I like the idea of buildings that are operating commercially providing building data for town. I see it as a potential compromise.”
Councilmember Gabi Prochaska wanted to know the breakdown from the 189 unlimited licenses that would be exempt from the assessments.
Fenerty said she was having a struggle with the staff recommendation of “arbitrarily” exempting buildings constructed under the 2015 IECC building codes from doing the assessments.
The council asked staff for deeper analysis of that recommendation and the public can weigh in before or at the September 2 public hearing.
