CB South goes to court over library review issue

At least the lawyers are making money

[ by Mark Reaman ]

The kerfuffle between the Crested Butte South Property Owner’s Association (CBS POA) and the Gunnison County Library District has escalated to the next step. The CBS POA last week filed a complaint for declarative relief with the Gunnison County Court.

CB South POA manager Derek Harwell said it is obvious the two entities see the situation differently, so the intent was to have a judge take a look and make a determination of proper direction.

The Library District is planning on starting construction on a 10,000-square-foot library in the CB South commercial district on Glacier Street this summer. While the original plan included eight employee housing units, the current plan contains just the library facility on the one-acre site.

As a government entity building a public facility, the Library District can move the project through a streamlined review and approval process under state regulations called Location and Extent review. The Library board contends that final approval of the project has been reached and that the project adheres to local building codes and health and safety requirements.

The CB South POA on the other hand maintains it is clear through its covenants that any building project in the subdivision, including those by a public entity, must go through the CB South design review committee for approval. While the POA expressed strong concerns over the original plan focused on the height of the workforce rental units, there is concern there could be several site issues that need addressed under a formal review.

“The fact is that we are charged with upholding the covenants and the covenants say the design must go through the review process,” said Harwell. “It seemed that immediately after we filed the complaint in court, we all started moving in the same direction. I was anticipating we could schedule the library for the next design review meeting in June, but we have not heard anything definitively from them as of today (Tuesday, May 26). We don’t want to keep escalating this, but we feel beholden to uphold the covenants.”

Library district executive director Drew Brookhart said that CB South has been involved in the process. “Unlike private projects, governmental entities like the library submit plans through a Location & Extent Review application in the county. The Design Review Committee participated in the Location & Extent review process through the Planning Commission which began February 6, 2026, and concluded with the issuance of a building permit on May 4, 2026,” he said. “We will continue to try and mediate any concern about the project with the POA. After years of fundraising, design, public input, surveys and elections, the Library District is excited to deliver a new public library to a constituency shared by the POA and the Library District.”

Both entities are utilizing lawyers from the Front Range to make their cases.

CB South has two design review committee meetings scheduled for June. The first is set for June 18 with the second one slated for June 24.