The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“They are effectively doubling the livable square footage currently in Irwin”
The Gunnison County Planning Commission and interested members of the public took a field trip to Irwin last week to tour the site of a proposed development by Scarp Ridge LLC.
The visit came just a few weeks after Scarp Ridge submitted a long-term plan for the area to the county—a plan that includes the renovation of the historic Irwin lodge, the construction of a wedding pavilion capable of holding 170 people, the construction of six new single-family homes ranging in size from 1,500 to 8,000 square feet, the development of two miles of private mountain bike trails, and a partial reroute of the popular Scarp Ridge trail—among other things.
“What we are seeing is the sketch plan phase of the proposed project,” said Gunnison County planner Cathie Pagano. “They will still need to go through a preliminary plan and a final plan.”
According to Pagano, a sketch plan is a low-commitment, conceptual-type plan that requires little investment from developers. In other words, it’s a way for a company to test the waters surrounding an issue or area of interest without getting in over its head, either financially or legally.
The field trip was an extension of that water testing, as it gave Scarp Ridge employees and planners an opportunity to interact with the Planning Commission, to field questions from the public and to offer more detail about what some of the development plans might mean for the Irwin area.
“It was real nice that Eleven [in broad terms Eleven and Scarp Ridge are the same company] invited the public and the planning commissioners up to the site,” said David Gottorff, a 10-year Irwin resident and founder of the Lake Irwin Coalition, a small group working to prevent the commercial development of the Lake Irwin area. “They didn’t have to do that, and it was a real nice offer.”
The site visit had Scarp Ridge planners leading the group along the proposed reroute of the Scarp Ridge trail and through areas slated for road improvements and home construction. It was a trek filled with wetlands, wildflowers, steep aspects, rocky outcroppings and mountain views.
“I can support some aspects of what they’re proposing. I would like to see the old lodge renovated and put into good use again for example,” said Gottorff after the hike. “I’m not against all their plans, but where I draw the hard line is when they want to start swapping lands around and using public lands for private enterprise.”
Gottorff said some of his concerns were based on experiences related to the Irwin cat skiing operation, which is also owned by Scarp Ridge.
“As Irwin residents and members of the public we lost a lot of access to our public lands when Irwin cat skiing began leasing the land from the Forest Service,” Gottorff said. “Suddenly we were told we couldn’t be in the area, and that it was a private operation.”
According to Scarp Ridge, part of the reasoning behind the proposed reroute of the Scarp Ridge trail is to preserve public access, not impede it. The developers said along with the reroute of the trailhead from the old Irwin Lodge to the area just west of where the Irwin Lodge Road crosses Robinson Creek, they would construct a 22-vehicle parking area and put in two restrooms and some signage.
“In theory, a lot of what they are saying is fine,” said Gottorff. “But what I’m worried about is the impact on the greater ecosystem. That area where we walked is pristine. What is going to happen when they start building 5,000 or 8,000-square-foot homes up there? With their proposal, they are effectively doubling the livable square footage currently in Irwin. How can that not have a major impact?”
Scarp Ridge project manager John Featherman said hearing Gottorff’s and other community members’ concerns and questions during the tour will allow for increased communication down the line.
“The site visit went well,” said Featherman. “Our goal was to increase understanding of what we are doing presently and what we are hoping to achieve. We’ll continue to compile information as requested and answer questions that the public may ask.”
The next step for the development proposal has Featherman and other employees of the Scarp Ridge Irwin development project meeting with the county Planning Commission on August 16.
“The Planning Commission will give their opinions of how they thought the site visit went at the work session,” said Pagano. “They are charged with learning about the proposal and determining how, and if, it should move forward, and then are asked to give their recommendations to the county commissioners.”
