Parade of roundabouts next step in the transition…

Well, that didn’t take long…

After news of the paperwork being filed that essentially ended the Red Lady molybdenum mining fight, Crested Butte mayor Ian Billick commented in last week’s paper that “Crested Butte has now formally and fully transitioned from mining to a tourism and amenities-centered economy.” A few minutes later the community received more than $15 million for work on the Highway 135 corridor that funnels tourists and amenities-based visitors, along with lots of working locals, to Crested Butte.

Within a few years it appears the morning “trade parade” of work trucks and parents driving their kids to school will be getting to CB through a parade of roundabouts. The valley will be going Euro, or Sedona or Vail or whatever other tourism town with traffic circles you can think of. And honestly, aside from what will likely be a year (or two?) of construction cluster, that is probably okay. It is what it is…

Colorado Department of Transportation numbers show that what used to be a somewhat quiet and pleasant drive between CB and Gunnison is now normally pretty crowded. In July it can be reallllllly crowded. In 1991 there were about 4,312 vehicles a day using the highway on average in July. This year there were 7,975 and in July of 2019 there were 8,606. Heck, even in April of this year the average daily vehicle use came in at 4,393, or more than the busiest month in the early ‘90s. That’s the new reality and part of that formal and full transition to the tourism economy. 

Some people have voiced that they would prefer stop lights to roundabouts. I am not one of them. The absence of stop lights is actually one of the things in my mind that separates us from other, more vanilla, tourist towns. It’s a cultural thing. Also, stopping lines of cars and big work trucks on the highway seems less safe than slowing the traffic down with a roundabout that keeps the traffic flowing. Roundabouts can seem intimidating, but they aren’t that difficult to figure out. 

Let’s face it…the formal and full transition to a tourist economy has been happening for decades now. It is the choice we have made as a community. Stepping away from mining started when the ski resort opened in the ‘60s. It cranked up with the passionate fight against the moly mine in the ‘70s and ‘80s and became crystal clear in the ‘90s and 2000s when the community voted to use tax money to promote itself. The challenge has always been to retain some soul and uniqueness as the inevitable increase in visitors grew — and while things have certainly changed, we’ve been fortunate to have kept both a human scale and human connections in the valley. There are always trigger points for some that send long-time locals out of the valley to look for the next Shangri-La but this is still a pretty tight place. We continue to be fortunate despite the new challenges.

 The tourism impacts are not hidden. More people, more traffic, more lines, higher prices, fewer affordable places for locals to live, more polish and less patience in the longer high seasons all are part of the new reality. The corridor, particularly in and around CB, is in the midst of big changes indicating the recent growth. The parade of roundabouts is just another addition as we have pointed out for months. The new fire station that is not small is going vertical next to the new Mineral Point housing complex that will not be small. The addition to the Crested Butte Community School will expand the facility and it appears the proposed Whetstone community housing project is on the glide path for approval that will include the biggest buildings along the highway near the roundabout. Sigh.

Those are examples of physical changes. They come as part of a growing resort community that is trying to figure out ways to keep working people residing in the tourism hub and not just having them bussed in from down valley. The town of Crested Butte is this week holding long-range planning sessions at the Center for the Arts. How to provide more affordable housing and living opportunities is being discussed. Where and in what form to allow more density in the North Valley is a big topic. By the way, the final public input planning meeting is this Friday at the Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Take a few minutes and tell ’em what you think…because how to accommodate changes without ruining the uniqueness of the place is the challenge. 

CB is small compared to some other mountain resorts but it ain’t going back to a few hundred residents and dirt streets. I’ve seen short-term rentals in the valley already promoting the climate benefits of a high mountain valley with lots of things to do. People of means are not going to stop coming here.

Fully and formally transitioning to a tourism and amenities-based economy comes with challenges. It will take work, collaboration and creative thinking to maintain what it is we like about Crested Butte as it grows and becomes more expensive. While both tourism and mining can be viewed as extractive industries, Crested Butte has long looked for the path less traveled to keep the challenges in perspective and the community in focus. 

This week’s Billick quote: “This award, with roundabouts at the entrance to Town, Brush Creek and Cement Creek, is transformative for our community.”

Yup. A parade of roundabouts is just the latest big step in our constant evolution and hopefully the safety goals are met while not chipping away at unique local culture. 

—Mark Reaman