The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
The county can say no until a corridor plan is in place
By Mark Reaman
The Crested Butte town council on Monday, January 5 approved sending two letters to the Gunnison County planning commission and the county commissioners emphasizing its desire that a comprehensive corridor plan be finalized before any approval is given to the proposed Lower Verzuh Ranch subdivision. While acknowledging that the previously scheduled public hearing for the development on January 22 had been canceled while the developer adjusted the plan, the council felt it was important to submit their comments to the county in the review process at this point.
The council approved the drafts of two letters to the county over the development proposal. One comes from the council, and one from the staff. Both emphasize that there is not enough information to proceed at this point until the North Valley corridor plan is completed and impacts to the North Valley can be evaluated. Both letters suggested that the county has the authority to deny the current application until a comprehensive corridor plan is completed.
“We are very concerned about the timing and scale of Lower Verzuh,” the council’s letter states. “With the Whetstone, Starview and the Lower Verzuh Ranch projects combined, over 1,000 new units will be added to the North Valley, which approaches the size of the Town of Crested Butte itself and is a quarter of the ~4,000 existing homes in the North Valley. We worry about the capacity of the North Valley to absorb this much development, especially in the absence of meaningful long-term planning, without degrading the quality of living and increasing the cost of living for residents to pay for new developments.”
Located about three miles south of the town along Highway 135, the proposal includes 309 residential lots on 450 acres, ranging from multi-family lots to three-acre lots, organized largely in cul-de-sac patterns.
As described by community development director Mel Yemma in a memo to council, “as shown in the applicant’s materials, the proposal could result in up to 598 total units, including 344 primary dwelling units and up to 254 optional accessory dwelling units… the applicant proposes to deed restrict 90 units, representing 26 percent of the primary units, as Essential Housing.
However, the proposal is limited to subdividing and dedicating land; it does not include construction of the workforce housing units. The application also includes an integrated trail system, recreational amenities such as sports fields, parks and playgrounds, preservation of select ranch buildings and fencing, recreational ponds and approximately 275 acres of open space. The applicant has indicated a willingness to provide an easement for the Crested Butte to CB South Trail and proposes a future transit stop with a small adjacent parking area.”
Council member Beth Goldstone wondered if the proposed transit stop would even be easily accessible to residents of the subdivision and thus even usable.
The council letter repeatedly raised the issue of current full-time residents having to absorb some of the negative impacts that come with the development. Specifically, the council mentioned impacts with mass transit, affordable housing, water and sewer impacts, recreation and wildlife. They particularly expressed concern over cumulative impacts if future subdivision proposals near town but located in the county continue to stack up.
Citing an already stressed public transportation system, the council has its doubts that such a subdivision won’t break the system. “The Lower Verzuh Ranch proposal includes a transit stop, a parking area near that stop and a trail easement for the Crested Butte to Crested Butte South Trail,” the letter stated. “However, the design of the project, with long walking distances, discourages ridership. We anticipate that the project will generate major problems for the Town of Crested Butte, given that we already reach capacity on busy weekends, a problem that will only get bigger as Whetstone comes online.”
While the proposal allows for affordable housing units to the tune of approximately 25% of the proposed units on the site, the staff letter says the outcome is too vague. “To deliver the proposed 90 platted essential housing units, the Town estimates that at least $50 million in public investment would be required to actually realize those units, based on the Town’s experience delivering workforce housing projects. The application does not identify how such an outcome would be feasible or how the financial burden would be addressed,” the letter says.
Mayor Ian Billick noted at the meeting that more than 50% of the units built in Crested Butte since 2014 have been deed restricted. But he said that wasn’t enough to keep up with the current housing situation.
“My feeling is the income gap has grown significantly in that time,” he said. “Is 25% adequate? Whetstone, which is a big project in the North Valley, was meant just to catch up. This project is not even considered in that development. I think the onus is on the developer to demonstrate that the proposed 25% in affordable housing is enough. I feel like the corridor plan was supposed to dig into that. I also think the county is within its right to say no to this application and not try to fix their proposal. I think it is important to come up with a comprehensive plan for the corridor first. “
Town manager Dara MacDonald added that a plan for construction of the affordable housing units was important and not just the donation of raw land.
“The biggest issue for me is just that we don’t have a corridor plan and this is so big,” said councilmember John O’Neal. “The timing is not right for this to move forward. It’s about the timing.”
“If the developers don’t want to wait, they could do impact studies themselves to come up with the needed information,” said Billick. “I’m not saying personally that I’m against a project there. But analyzing the impacts are important. What are the financial responsibilities of these issues?”
“A project of this scale cannot be evaluated in isolation,” reads the staff’s letter to the county. “Section 1-103 of the LUR directs the County to consider cumulative impacts within a defined area and across Gunnison County as a whole. Development in the North Valley, when viewed collectively with recent and proposed projects such as Whetstone and Starview, places increasing demands on housing, transportation, utilities, public recreation, schools and municipal services, many of which are located within the Town of Crested Butte.”
The council unanimously approved the drafts of both letters and they will be sent to the county.
