The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
(rendering from August 2024)
129-units near CB South; joint public hearing December 19
By Katherine Nettles
As local discussions and concerns heat up over a major subdivision proposal in the North Valley, the Gunnison County planning commission will hold a joint public meeting with county commissioners next week to review a sketch plan for the project. Development applicant HGC has proposed subdividing the 90-acre parcel, located at the corner of Highway 135 and Cement Creek Road, into 129 residential lots of varied sizes and building types including some deed restricted units and light commercial spaces. A gas station has been pencilled in as a possibility as well.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 19 at 10:15 a.m. in the Planning Commission Room at the Blackstock Government Center in Gunnison.
The Starview subdivision would include 84 single-family lots plus a higher-density area with 40 multi-family units, four residential units above commercial spaces and one lot for CB South Metro District which may include employee housing. HGC would designate 22 of the 44 multi-family and residential above commercial units to be deed-restricted for the local workforce, and the concept for the remaining 22 multi-family units would be to attain a lower free-market price point than the single-family homes in the rest of the neighborhood.
Home sizes would range from 800 square foot minimums among multifamily units to 1,200 square foot minimums for 52 of the medium and larger single-family lots and 1,000 square feet for the 15 smaller single-family lots.
Concerning viewshed protection, the homes to the south would be limited to single-story “patio homes” while the north end of the subdivision would be excavated to lower its base elevation.
The deed restricted units would be intended for workers making 80% of their income within the county and using an area median income (AMI) schedule based on 120-220% AMI with resale caps of 4% annually.
Based on input from the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) the applicant proposes adding flag bus stops along the north and south sides of Cement Creek Road.
The planning commission has held work sessions with the applicant over the past six months to fine-tune the sketch plan proposal details prior to setting the public hearing. The applicant has made several adjustments and added details such as recreational amenity locations and exact square foot minimums based on those work sessions and feedback from planning commission members.
Based on how the hearing goes next week, the commission could decide to continue it to another date or close the hearing before taking a vote on the application.
Gunnison County assistant manager for community and economic development Cathie Pagano said the planning commission has not directed staff to draft a recommendation, so there will not be a vote on a recommendation at the meeting. “I expect the hearing will be continued to a later date to enable the Planning Commission to give direction to staff on a recommendation,” she commented to the Crested Butte News this week.
The public can submit verbal or written comments at the hearing, or written comments can be submitted by email to planning@gunnisoncounty.org or by mail to Community Development at 221 N. Wisconsin Suite D, Gunnison Colorado 81230. Comments by mail or email must be received by 5 p.m. on December 18 to be submitted to the public record prior the hearing.