The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Draft available for public feedback September 1
by Kendra Walker
The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council is developing a five-year community housing strategic plan, and the draft will be available to the public for feedback starting next month.
The town has been working on the strategic plan with Michael Yerman of MY Rural Planner (MYRP), who also facilitated a housing retreat with the council in February to discuss current housing challenges and target future opportunities in community housing. Over the next couple of months, the town plans to engage the Downtown Development Authority Board (DDA), developers and the community for feedback before the plan is considered for adoption in October.
The strategic plan focuses on six categories: 1. Expand Community Housing Supply, 2. Preserve Existing Community Housing and Protect the Long-Term Affordability, 3. Strengthen Housing Programs & Regional Partnerships, 4. Incentives and Public-Private Partnerships, 5. Maintain Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability, and 6. Integrate Housing with Broader Community Priorities. The plan will focus on policies, programs, development and fiscal planning to help achieve the town’s housing goals.
The town is using data from the 2024 Gunnison Valley Housing Needs Assessment and the 2023 Town of Mt. Crested Butte Master Plan to ensure the plan aligns with current local and regional housing goals. MYRP is also researching funding tools and development strategies to update community housing guidelines and deed restrictions, continue regional programming and advance statewide policy advocacy.
Yerman told the council that he is interviewing developers over the next month for feedback on incentives, and the draft plan will be available to the public on the Mt. Crested Butte website starting September 1. The council will then hold a joint work session with the DDA on September 15, as one of the future goals of the strategic plan is to incentivize a community housing project within the DDA boundary.
The council is then scheduled to hold a public hearing and review of the final plan for adoption on October 20.
