The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We’re at the first touchpoint”
by Katherine Nettles
The work of creating a regional vision and planning document for how the Gunnison Valley corridor from Gunnison to Mt. Crested Butte will develop and operate into the future officially kicked off this spring, and while in its very earliest phase Gunnison County Planning Commission members had a first look at the process, timeline and expectations last week. The whole process to get a final plan adopted is estimated at 18 months, to be completed by fall of 2027.
Gunnison County commissioners identified the need and appetite for a Gunnison Valley Corridor Plan in recent years, and after completing the Gunnison Area Plan in 2025 county staff set out to take on a more comprehensive process in 2026 that includes the North Valley.
Planning director Hillary Seminick with the county’s community and economic development department shared a presentation with the planning commission in a work session on Thursday, June 18 based on what the county’s consultant, HDR Consulting, provided in their proposal and subsequent welcome packet. Seminick explained that the process will have five phases, each with an approximate timeline and several objectives.
“This is such a big regional planning project,” said Seminick. “But we’re at the first touchpoint.”
Seminick emphasized the significance of collaborating with other governing bodies and regional partners throughout the process, and said as they entered phase one they brought together a core project advising committee (PAC). The PAC includes Gunnison County, city of Gunnison, town of Crested Butte, town of Mt. Crested Butte, RTA (Regional Transportation Authority), Mountain Express and the Crested Butte South Property Owner’s Association (CB South POA).
Seminick said that in an auspicious first step, after reviewing more than 800 pages from several consultant proposals, the PAC agreed unanimously to select HDR for the corridor project.
“This will be a consensus-driven process,” said Seminick.
In addition to the PAC, about 20 other stakeholders, both individuals and organizations, will participate in the planning process through technical working groups (TWGs). These include special districts, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), local educational institutions and various industry groups. “The TWGs will be centered on traffic analysis, housing goals, land use and environmental considerations,” according to HDR’s proposal.
Phases and timelines
Seminick went through the five different phases and estimated timelines of each. Many phases will overlap. Phase one, which started in May, has essentially been setting up the process and gathering objectives and stakeholders. Seminick said that staff would begin working with HDR this week on phase two, the discovery phase of gathering information and input, including community input, which might last into early October. Meetings with elected officials will begin in phase two.
Phase three, “Exploring the future,” is meant to summarize and evaluate input, constraints and opportunities, and begin shaping various corridor-wide scenarios to evaluate their potential impacts and tradeoffs. A planning commission work session and TWG meetings are expected to start during this time, and that phase is expected to begin in September and last into January.
Phase four, “Aligning on direction,” will formulate a preferred corridor alternative, draft corridor policies and guidelines, various concept maps for conservation, growth and access and provide summaries of stakeholder and decision-maker alignment. That is expected to begin in December and go through May 2027. Phase five, “From vision to action,” includes developing implementation and funding strategies, forming a draft comprehensive corridor plan and forming a final plan with PAC and elected official feedback. That is expected to take place from March or April 2027 through August or September 2027.
Planning commission members had several questions about their role in the process, and Seminick likened the process to a major impact project under the county’s Land Use Resolution process in which proposals would come to them for input and feedback via work sessions and the goal would be to provide a final recommendation to county commissioners for adoption. That would include a public hearing.
HDR identified its approach to the comprehensive corridor plan and transportation strategy. “The corridor plan will address long-term growth, access management, multimodal connectivity, conservation and coordination across jurisdictions, providing a clear framework that balances immediate and future development with the corridor’s regional importance.”
The proposal also acknowledged that development was driving the need for a plan. “Population and development on the SH 135 corridor is growing and drawing increased community attention. Alongside the 252 workforce housing units under construction at Whetstone Village (near Brush Creek Road), several major infrastructure projects are planned to support mobility needs: roundabouts at SH 135/Red Lady Avenue, SH 135/Brush Creek, and SH 135/Cement Creek; a pedestrian underpass at Brush Creek; and a multi-use trail connecting Crested Butte South to the Town of Crested Butte.”
The proposal also noted that two recent development applications, Starview and Lower Verzuh, had underscored the urgency for a comprehensive corridor vision and framework.
While HDR recognized that the planning commission denied the Starview application last winter “due to concerns about ‘missing middle’ housing, impacts on wildlife migration, and maintaining an appropriate balance between new development and the valley’s rural character,” HDR noted that the Lower Verzuh Ranch subdivision “may encounter similar issues as it moves through the review process.
“Together, these proposals highlight the need for a clear, shared community direction to address cumulative impacts such as increased traffic, wildlife movement, conservation priorities, and infrastructure capacity,” according to the proposal.
The full corridor planning process outline, timeline and other related documents, as well as a mailing list sign-up, can be found on the county’s community development website at www.gunnisoncounty.org/1185/Gunnison-Valley-Corridor-Plan.
