The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Major impact project at a decision point
by Katherine Nettles
The Gunnison County planning commission will host a joint public meeting with county commissioners to review a major impact land use change application for the Lower Verzuh parcel off Highway 135 near Brush Creek. The project would bring hundreds of new homes to the North Valley and is in sketch plan application phase. If approved by both the planning commission and county commissioners, it would move into preliminary plan and then the final stage would be final plan. Each stage requires several steps and a public meeting before consideration for approval.
Bill Lacy and Daniel Dow of Lacy and Dow, LLC first submitted the project application in 2025, and after a public hearing and feedback from the planning commission last year they submitted revisions this spring.
The proposal now includes 433 units total with 254 single family, free market units and 179 workforce units for sale with a deed restriction.
The Lacy and Dow team has hired local company High Mountain Concepts (HMC) to design and construct the workforce housing units, and HMC principal John Stock presented his vision to the planning commission during a May 21 work session with the rest of the developer team to review changes to the project proposal and based on the discussion and changes, the commission set a public hearing that is scheduled for July 9 at 9 a.m. in the commissioners room of the county courthouse.
The planning commission asked that staff refrain from drafting any possible recommendations for approval, denial or approval with conditions as they want to hear public and commissioner input before making any further decision. If approved for planning commission recommendation, it would go to commissioners for final consideration.
There has already been extensive public comment submitted to the county in writing, and the application, agency comments, all public comments and other related documents can all be viewed on the county community development website at permitdb.gunnisoncounty.org/citizenaccess/ under projects, using the project name Lower Verzuh.
The planning commission agenda and portfolio is scheduled for final release on Thursday, July 2 and the planning commission has set aside time on July 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the hearing.
