County debate continues over more industrial zoning near Riverland

Public comments accepted until May 15

The Gunnison County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners continued last week to debate the merit of designating land adjacent to the Signal Peak Industrial Park and the Riverland Industrial Park as appropriate for industrial use. If the decision is made it would be the exception rather than the rule in the county.

At the heart of a public hearing held Friday, April 18 were concerns over a 13-acre parcel of land located to the north of the Riverland Industrial Park near Crested Butte that is currently adjacent to a residential area.
In the meeting that ran more than two hours long, the commissioners heard testimony regarding whether the care of that land and the determinations for how it is developed should continue to be conducted under the county’s land use resolution (LUR), or if it would be more appropriate, and perhaps easier, for the county to designate the land specifically for industrial use, a concept that while not quite a precedent in the county, would be a marked change from how things have previously been done.
According to county staff, there is no zoning in unincorporated areas of the county. Rather, under the LUR, the county evaluates land use applications based on the owners’ ability to mitigate the impacts of use in a specific location. Any change to a parcel mandates a land use change permit approving a specific use be obtained from the county.
However, if the county decides to zone a specific geographic area as appropriate for industrial use, owners would have a general idea of what could be permissible for the area, whether that were a gravel pit, or heavy machinery operation.
“An applicant would know going in that the use was generally appropriate for the site,” said County Community Development Director Russ Forrest. “There would still be a robust discussion about avoiding or mitigating impacts and to determine if a specific industrial use was appropriate in a specific proposed location.”
Considerations of appropriateness could include reviews of noise, traffic and pollution impacts – all areas that may raise concerns with residential neighbors.
“Because we don’t have traditional zoning in the unincorporated parts of the county this creates an honest debate about what is appropriate for this land,” added Forrest. “Is it residential, industrial, commercial? What we do know is that it’s transitional.
The debate over the zoning change has been going on since 2008.
The Planning Commission will continue to take written comments on the designation through May 15, and commissioners will address the subject again at a meeting on May 16.