For Crying Out Loud

[  By Dawne Belloise  ]

Ben Wright is at the Four-way Stop in Crested Butte for a little while every day, smiling, waving and holding a sign that reads, “Save CB, house a local worker.” It’s his attempt to educate passersby about the housing crisis and its consequential situation in town. He’s had a regular presence for about a month now. “I hope to help solve the housing crisis by trying to get people into housing and make the general public and second homeowners aware of the affordable housing fund they can donate money to.”

He gets a cacophony of honks and thumbs up. “Pretty much everybody is nodding their head looking at the sign,” he says. “It’s been a very positive experience.”

In his time at the corner, he’s had a lot of interaction with everyone from locals to tourists. “Every day I hear about people losing their homes,” says Ben; on average, he estimates at least one person a day. “I’m desperately holding that sign for the situation, for education and out of frustration as well. That’s why I’m out there.”

Ben was born and raised in Colorado, starting out in Fort Collins but moving to Carbondale at the age of three when his dad, Kevin, scored a job as district manager with the Division of Wildlife there. “As a kid, I was so lucky and privileged. Carbondale was a small town, similar to Gunnison, a safe community and we played on the street with all our friends.” His mom, Debi Saliman, was a nurse at Valley View Hospital. Ben and his sister, Laura, grew up in the forests and mountains around Marble, occasionally helping their dad feed and sometimes trap bighorn sheep for relocation. “They’ll relocate populations that are doing really well to areas where the populations are not doing as well,” he explains.

Throughout grade school, Ben played soccer and baseball and was on the varsity teams when he got to high school. When the snows came, he’d hit the slopes snowboarding. “If you were in the Carbondale school system, you got a season pass to Aspen for like $250. He graduated from Roaring Fork High School in 2003, and with his future a blank canvas, Ben didn’t quite know what he wanted to do, so he enrolled at Western State College (WSC) that fall.

“I grew up playing Gunnison in high school sports, so I drove over here a lot. I have to say, we did always beat them,” he laughs. He declared a business major with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and on a whim, he took a music theory class his freshman year. He tells that his dad listened to country while his mom listened to gospel, but Ben’s tastes were quite a different genre. “In high school, I got into heavy metal. Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands.” Ben was asked to play drums his freshman year when all the WSC drummers graduated, leaving a void. “I had never touched a drum set in my life but I figured sure, I’ll give it a whirl.”

He attended a Dixieland band rehearsal, one of several jazz genres offered. “And the rest is history. Normally you have to audition, but they offered for me to be a music minor. It was really intense. I had to practice five hours a day because I had a lot of catching up to do to hang with everybody else.” But he had found his path. “That’s when I knew for sure what I wanted to do with my life. The professors at Western are amazing. They had the patience to take on a complete beginner.”

He played with both jazz bands in college, percussion in the symphony and the percussion ensemble. “You also have to be proficient in piano to be a music major,” he explains. Ben graduated in 2009 with a BA in business and stayed a couple years extra to earn a second BA in music. Afterward, Ben started teaching private piano and drum lessons.

His first garage band during college days was classic rock called Midnight Lightning. Ben joined a local Beatles tribute band called Dr. Robert when group member Kevin Reinert called. “I had never listened to the Beatles,” Ben confesses. “That was a whole other realm of music. I loved it.” Dr. Robert played more than 300 shows across Colorado from 2011 through 2017. “It was the most amazing experience of my life.” Ben also played with local groups Kung Pao, songstress Evelyn Roper and the Alpentones. His current endeavor with the much-loved local Grateful Dead tribute band, Easy Jim, started in the autumn of 2018. “We got the two drummers, two guitars, keys, bass and four-part vocal harmonies, which holds true to the music in trying to provide that big sound they had,” Ben says excitedly.

While in college, Ben worked at Interiors furniture store, where he met his future wife, Abby, in 2007. They started dating in 2009, and married on Mt. Crested Butte in 2014. “We were living in a garage apartment in Gunnison but working in CB,” he says. But in 2011, they fell into what Ben calls a sweet deal, caretaking a private “time shared” type home on the mountain. “We live downstairs in a one-bedroom apartment and the second homeowners stay upstairs when they visit, which is often since there are eight different owners,” he says of their living arrangement. He adds that he feels this could be a potential partial solution to the housing shortage if others could be persuaded to rent out existing auxiliary units specifically for caretakers.

Ben’s done that CB hustle for work, working a variety of jobs to keep afloat. Having graduated from WSC during the height of the recession, he noted that there wasn’t much work available, so on a suggestion from his mother, he started Wright Piano Service (wrightpianoservice.com). He took courses for tuning and repair certification through the American School of Piano Tuning, which took a little over a year to complete in 2012. “It’s a fun part-time gig. I’m working on one or two pianos a week. I’ve always had a steady job on top of the music,” he says of the multitude of day jobs that include wildlife trapping control, painting and roof shoveling.

Watching Crested Butte go down that path of losing community for lack of housing is triggering Ben’s frustration as he recalls the same changes of his childhood home in Carbondale. “I’ve been seeing this happen for 30 years. Everyone I grew up with can no longer afford a house there. They drive an hour and a half to work in Aspen. When I was growing up, Carbondale was a cowboy hippie town and the shift was beginning. People started getting pushed out in the ‘90s. They started moving to Glenwood Springs and now everyone’s had to move to Silt and Rifle.”

For his generation, graduating during the recession of 2009, it’s been rough. “It’s been pretty impossible to save money with the cost of living,” he notes that wages have always been low in this valley and typically with no benefits, plus having to pay for health and childcare. He feels that although wages are going up quickly recently to entice the scarce workers, “It’s not enough to buy a house in the valley. We’ve been saving up for a down payment but we have no chance because people are paying cash, and over the asking price,” he says of the new, moneyed people buying into the market. “The local workers have a sense of hopelessness right now because it’s become a reality that none of us will ever be able to own a free market home in this valley, it’s not realistic anymore.”

Ben feels that the area is always going to need more affordable units as the town grows. “In five years, Gunnison is going to be huge like Carbondale. Currently, there’s not going be anything to move into for at least two years. Town is saying that camping and living in your car is the only short-term solution available. There are 100 jobs in town, according to last week’s paper, and maybe two expensive places for rent, so the only option is to live in a tent or live in a car? I feel like the word ‘camping’ is a recreational activity where you go to enjoy the outdoors but if you’re working full-time jobs and your only option for a home is a tent or your car, in my opinion, we call that being homeless not camping. You’re making your workers live in third world conditions. If you have a job, you should be able to have a place to live with walls, a roof, running water and a bathroom. These people who are working and living in their cars are truly amazing to me, working two and three jobs, dealing with tourists and then returning to tents or cars. I have a lot of respect for them.”
“The housing crisis also ties into our mental health crisis in our valley, when people don’t have a stable place to live. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be living in a rental, we could lose our place at any time. The houses in our valley have turned into a commodity as opposed to a home and being part of the community. People are buying up property here just as an investment. For those of us who’ve invested our lives here, the odds are against us in buying a home. People are making money hand over fist on our backs and we’re all living paycheck to paycheck. A lot of my friends are having to leave,” but Ben emphasizes that they want to stay. “I grew up in these mountains. It’s hard for me to think of going anywhere else but we’re facing the fact that we might not be able to stay in the state I was born and grew up in.”

His plea is one echoed throughout the working local population, “If you’re a second homeowner and you have an auxiliary unit or any extra space, or if you’re building a home, consider building an auxiliary building for locals. If you’re working from home, consider housing a local. We now need to find a balance amongst all of these things. There are already some second homeowners renting to locals. That’s what I’m hoping for, that people see my sign at the Four-way and think about it.”

County commissioners will consider it next with public hearing

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

After a lengthy work session on Friday, July 23, the Gunnison County Planning Commission voted to recommend a reduced limit on new home sizes to county commissioners for consideration. The recommendation is to amend the Land Use Resolution (LUR) to limit allowable residential building sizes to 4,200 square feet for primary structures and 5,700 square feet for aggregate building sizes. If approved by commissioners after a public hearing, any project applications for residential building sizes larger than that would be required to go through a Minor Impact review process.

Under the current LUR, a residential building aggregate is limited to 10,000 square feet with no differentiation between residence, garage or accessory dwelling sizes.

The recommendation came with a vote of 3-2, with commission members Laura Puckett Daniels, Andy Sovick and Melanie Miller voting in favor. Vince Rogalski and Scott Cox voted against it.

Cox had openly opposed the concept from the time that county commissioners first asked the commission to consider it, and Rogalski spoke about his concerns that it would create problems for those who have bought large acreage with the expectation that they could build larger homes. Rogalski openly wondered if current controversial projects such as the Wandering Willows project proposed for the Slate River corridor was causing a knee-jerk or arbitrary reaction.

Miller asked how many large resident applications were currently pending, and community and economic development director Cathie Pagano answered that there were 21 permit applications of this size (larger than 5,700 square feet) “in the queue” as of June 21 and some more had come in since then. Pagano said if those applicants have submitted a complete application prior to adoption of the amendment, then they would not be subject to the amendment.

“This is not a square footage prohibition, just a deeper review process,” said county attorney Matthew Hoyt of the proposed amendment.

After public comments both for and against the recommendation, and a substantial discussion clarifying the details and language of the new amendment proposed, the commission members agreed it was time to move on.

Sovick said he struggles with this in different ways as a building contractor and an environmentalist, feeling in some ways the amendment would go too far and in others not far enough. “I’m going to hear from my colleagues about this,” he said. But he said ultimately he would like to see other topics, such as climate change mitigation and affordable housing addressed with such urgency as this has been.

Puckett Daniels reminded the board that this recommendation was only the beginning of the process, and that the county commissioners would then take it on for their own consideration. “And that will include a public hearing,” she said.

The commissioners will now take up the matter in an upcoming agenda. All three of them attended the first planning commission meeting on the subject and participated in the discussions, and Roland Mason and Liz Smith attended the July 23 meeting as well.

Crested Butte has always been associated with bold action.
There’s the molybdenum mine fight that appears to be winding down in the town’s favor but that included a legendary torch-lit, F*** you to Amax (the mine owner at the time) in Red Lady Bowl; the persistent slog of a grassroots campaign to keep industrial ski area expansion off of Snodgrass that ended with the Forest Service repealing the allowance of ski lifts on that mountain; the regulation passed in the 1990s to keep houses in Crested Butte really small compared to other resorts; and now the initiative to perhaps radically hobble property values in Crested Butte by basically limiting who would want to purchase property inside the town limits.

This last one is not quite there yet but if the council can thread the needle and gain the support of middle class Crested Butte resident property owners and second homeowners, the action just might have an impact, at least to some degree. If nothing else, it is certainly sending a bold message. What will it actually do? I have no idea.

On a quick side note I must say that while there might have been some small question before Monday’s council meeting on whether the board would (at least unanimously) implement the STR moratorium, that was put to rest in my mind Monday afternoon when Airbnb sent out a really, how should we say this diplomatically, stupid email to its local hosts asking them to speak against the idea. Hmmm…what are the chances that a Crested Butte town council getting active input from its young, vocal, constituents would side with an $83 billion company over the people they see at the Post Office? Seems to me that corporate move showed an apparent fear of precedent and lack of understanding about this community. It’s always interesting to see a big boy come in all blustery and sweaty and get kicked in the nuts. Welcome to Crested Butte.

Anyway, back to the latest initiative. Driven by the staff, the town seems to really be trying to take the “resort” out of Crested Butte resort real estate. Under the banner of a “Community Preservation Fee” that could raise some money for a variety of projects from affordable housing to art, along with a halt on new short-term rental licenses, the consequence is that some property values inside the Crested Butte town limits will likely go down.

And that makes some sense because if you don’t permit new short-term rental (STR) licenses, the people who count on that income to help pay the mortgage drop out of the buyer’s pool. If you charge a $7,500 or $10,000 annual luxury tax to own a second home in town, the people who want a place here as a vacation home but don’t have a whole lot of money drop out of the buyer’s pool. That leaves the really rich people who won’t flinch at another $10K on their $4 million home or the coding couple from Calistoga who can move to the mountains to live and work remotely.

So it seems to me the really expensive houses won’t feel the impact. But like I said, I don’t know and I’ve already heard another point of view that the town actions will create scarcity and attractiveness for the monied class who will buy property in this pretty place no matter the cost and it’s a bonus if there aren’t STRs near their getaways. Think of the Yellowstone Club.

It is the old CB middle class that maybe built or bought their homes 10, 15 or 20 years ago that will take a hit as their buyer pool will shrink so they might have to lower their prices to eventually sell their house. I’m thinking of the $750,000 to $1.9 million places of which there are many. I doubt they would lose any money on their house, but they won’t pocket as much as anticipated (for retirement or college expenses) when they make the sell decision. Their property value will feel the pinch, so some houses probably won’t skyrocket in value every month. To get that group of locals on board will take some real discussion. There is real work to be done to sit down and explain the benefits. That hasn’t happened and I have no idea how they would react.

The other impact will be on the people who perhaps have owned a vacation home for years and are more typical upper middle class people (and not $20M/year CEOs) who love the town. If it is a blanket fee, some might be forced to sell because they can’t afford a big annual tax just to come to town and eat on Elk Avenue. As the old saying goes “you can’t eat equity soup.”

And both groups actually might be fine with all this bold action, which is where the council has to thread the needle. I keep seeing the town staff telling second homeowners why they should love the new fee, but I haven’t seen any real political outreach to engage that group. That should be done by the councilmembers who like the idea to sit down and really make the case to those that will take the hit. The idea of including exemptions for some second homes is important since it really does seem unfair on its face to charge a $10,000 fee on the $4 million home on the fence line and the same $10K for a trailer home owned by a family in Texas. Plus, as was pointed out Monday, a lot of the second homes are owned by longtime contributing members of the community. I like what Cole Thomas of Butte Bagels basically said near the end of the discussion – that if the details of a ballot initiative result in pushing out contributing members of the community, which many second homeowners are – then that would destroy the intent of what was being proposed and it should be scrapped. So, there is definitely work to be done there as well, and again that should be the political task of councilmembers who are pushing the tax.

There was plenty of emotion and applause at Monday’s council meeting. Citizen engagement is alive and well in Crested Butte. I bet it continues to Monday’s Mt. Crested Butte council meeting where the topic is STRs as well.

Whether any of these actions do more than make some locals feel good about sticking it to the man is an unknown. Whether property values drop enough to allow working locals in the service industry to afford a home in Crested Butte remains to be seen. I sort of doubt that one. The moratorium and luxury tax combo might make it easier for lone eagles to live and work in town, which is sort of one council goal and the Community Preservation Fee should provide an income stream for housing which is another goal.

Look, it’s easy to sound bold, but it’s harder to be bold and effective. The midnight torchlight F-you to Amax was bold, but the actual positive end result announced this week is coming from hours and hours of hard work and tough collaboration. For this latest action to work, the trick now is to thread the needle to get a broad community on board with the ideas — and that will take real political work that doesn’t happen in front of applauding supporters. I haven’t seen any indication that will happen — but there is time.

—Mark Reaman

Airbnb email provokes concern and anger

[ By Mark Reaman ]

After several hours of sometimes emotional public discussion Monday night, the Crested Butte town council agreed to move forward with two initiatives to address what is being termed community preservation efforts. The first was approval of a 12-month moratorium on accepting and processing applications and issuing licenses for non-primary residence short-term rentals (STRs). Council also agreed to put a placeholder on the November ballot to potentially allow Crested Butte citizens to enact a tax on houses not occupied by full-time residents and/or increase the sales tax in Crested Butte to fund community preservation efforts. A special meeting will be held in August to flesh out details of the potential tax proposals (See page 16).

While admitting there is “no silver bullet” to solve the housing crisis, town staff advocated that a moratorium on STRs was needed to gather information on how the STRs impact the community in general and its housing stock in particular. The idea is to observe a period of time when obtaining an STR license is impossible and see if that deters some real estate buyers or reduces prices in Crested Butte.

“This will give us time to evaluate the town’s STR policy,” said town planner Mel Yemma. “We need to consider every possible tool to look at the displacement of our residents. Many times, when a house locals are renting is sold, the upgrades lead to gentrification and that house probably won’t go back into the long-term rental market. This ordinance can shift how our existing housing stock is used within the community.”

Yemma said the moratorium won’t impact the primary STR licenses locals can get to rent their homes for less than 60 nights per year and those currently holding STR licenses also will not be impacted. There are currently the maximum of 212 non-primary residence STR licenses in use in Crested Butte.

Mayor Jim Schmidt again said a good compromise was reached in 2017 when a citizens committee and council came up with the 212 house cap in town.

“All over the world, STRs are having impacts that weren’t anticipated when short-term rentals were first implemented,” said councilperson Jasmine Whelan. “No study has been done on a community like ours, so we have this opportunity to determine the impacts of STRs on our community.”

Whelan, along with several others, expressed some alarm over the fact Airbnb sent an email to Crested Butte area hosts encouraging them to attend the Crested Butte council meeting and speak against the ordinance.

“We urgently need your involvement NOW,” the email stated as it instructed hosts how to provide public comment. “It is critical to speak up against the proposed moratorium on all new permits. Hosting is a vital economic recovery lifeline, and can be a key revenue source for many of our Hosts. It should not be restricted at a time when many residents are still struggling from the impacts of the ongoing pandemic…”

No one at the Monday meeting appeared to take the email’s advice.

In what ended up being approximately two hours of intense public comment with up to 122 participating on Zoom and another 75 in person at the council chambers, the overwhelming feeling was to flip off the $83 billion Airbnb company and enact the moratorium.

Public input
There was no shortage of people who wanted to weigh in on the subject, so Schmidt opened the floor and the cascade of comments flowed.

“It’s the opportunity to be the little mountain town that saw the problem and did something about it,” said Cass Rea. “It could set the example.”

Neil Watko of the Meridian Lake subdivision said that small community was starting to see STR impacts where people viewed it as a commodity rather than a community.

“The town is seeing lots of changes coming really fast,” said native Robbie Vandervoort who said he was building a home probably destined to be a short-term rental. “I am in support of this moratorium.”

Lauren O’Rourke said she started work at 7 a.m. Monday and still had more to do. She spoke about 8 o’clock and said, “Enough is enough. This is insane and has got to stop.”

James Steyaert spoke from Zoom and said he was in the process of building a house in town that he eventually planned to move to but would be short-term renting in the meantime to help pay the mortgage. “To change the rules on a whim is not fair,” he said. “This could financially ruin me and I’ll have to sell the house I’m working on. And it won’t go to a long-term renter.”

“We left Mt. Crested Butte for Meridian because the neighborhood became vacationland,” said Sandy MacNamara. “All short-term rentals should be taxed as a business and not a residence. Tax them, tax them. They’re making too much money at our expense.”
Brendan Riley has been coming to CB for 45 years and splits time between Crested Butte and Texas. He said people staying in STRs in Crested Butte are more likely to spend money at Crested Butte businesses. “When we bought our place, we paid more for our home because we could short-term it,” he said. “The really expensive multimillion dollar houses won’t be short-termed but we needed to. I got $29,000 in revenue last year and of that, $19,000 went to local workers.”

“Every restaurant is overwhelmed but we don’t have employees,” said Eric Rankin of Butte Bagels. “You can’t make money if you don’t have workers in town.”

“Wouldn’t it be amazing to be the first and say enough is enough?” asked Martha Keene. “People working in the service industry here are getting beaten down. It’s not sustainable and we aren’t creating a return experience. If we lose the STRs there will still be gardens to tend, roads to plow, meals to serve. It will be better balanced. I don’t want to live next to a business, I want a neighbor. Put a moratorium on STRs to catch our breath and develop a plan. Airbnb is like an infection and we need to get rid of it.”

Bill Smith said he and his wife moved out of town and have been renting their house to locals. “But I see our valuation going up, our taxes going up, our insurance going up. Can locals afford that?” he asked. “If not, what am I going to do? I don’t have the answer.”
“Maybe the council provides incentives to Bill to keep him renting to long-term locals,” said Cass Rea.

“I live in a longtime locals’ house but our landlord brought a realtor through today,” said Jess Ladwig. “That is worrisome. It is crazy how many houses have been built in town since I got here in 2007 but workers can’t find a place to live. Look out for the community. We need places for people to live, not just visit. A moratorium might make people think about not buying a house and that could allow locals to stay where they are.”

“I work for a hospitality company in town,” said Tom Barry. “I have everything to gain with short-term rentals but that email from Airbnb was alarming to me. I support the moratorium. It says it is something that it caught the eye of corporate Airbnb. It is appropriate to take a pause because the game is shifting rapidly.”

“I support the moratorium and eventual elimination of short-term rentals,” said Emily Artale (who lives in Buckhorn). “I live near an STR and it is destroying the livability of our neighborhood. We can be part of a really progressive solution. I too am deeply disturbed by the Airbnb email that was sent.”

“We all hear the frustration but taking it out on STRs won’t help affordable housing,” said Bob Bernholtz. “We need deed restricted affordable housing for people. This is barking up the wrong tree.”

“Short-term renting is a business and the council can regulate STRs through zoning,” said Eric Davis. “Residential neighborhoods should be residential.”

“We have too many STRs and too many people,” said Audrey Anderson. “We used to have shoulder seasons. Now people are here constantly. We have to go back to before ‘Whatever’ came here.”

“I don’t think the moratorium will make a difference,” said Susan Kerns. “What will, is building housing.”

“Another thing to keep in mind is that we’ve made it a year without losing someone to mental health issues,” said Martha Keene. “This decision affects people’s mental health.”

Council weighs in
“The staff has assured us that doing this research won’t slow down the building of housing,” said Whelan. “We will displace locals if we don’t do this moratorium. The Airbnb email is concerning. To have a $75 billion company try to put its thumb on the scale of our small town, Crested Butte debate is not right. They may be worried about the precedent. But we are a community that values people over profit.”

“I love this show of grassroots community,” said councilperson Mona Merrill. “I think the moratorium can lift morale and unite us. It is community driven and can give people hope.”

“I don’t want to go down the route of labeling people as “evil STR owners” because I know many that are really good people,” said councilperson Chris Haver. “I don’t know if this will lower the cost of houses and even if so, to the extent it could be bought by a working local? I still have lots of questions because I don’t know the long-term consequences.”

“I think the 212 allowance for STRs is too much for town,” said councilperson Jason MacMillan. “I would like to see the number reduced and the licenses more evenly distributed through town. I do think more STRs lead to displacement and a moratorium could keep some long-term rentals stay that way. A 12-month moratorium allows us to refocus.”

“I think it was deplorable what Airbnb did,” added Schmidt. “And the local realtors all signing the same form letter was lazy. Our community consists of more than the people that spoke tonight. I’ve heard from local homeowners who lived here a long time and were counting on the house to help their retirement.

“People have been very persuasive this evening,” said Schmidt who could read the room and made a quip about self-preservation. “If you think there are too many people here start a petition to get rid of the lodging tax that funds marketing. I’ll sign that one. I don’t know if this moratorium will keep everyone in their place but I’m going to go ahead and vote for the moratorium.”

He did, as well as the other five councilmembers that were present. Councilperson Mallika Magner was not at the meeting.

Sale of Peachtree Lift chairs to benefit local affordable housing
Skiers and snowboarders will have a chance to take home a piece of Crested Butte Mountain Resort history this August. The resort plans to publicly auction off 33 lift chairs from its iconic Peachtree Lift that is being replaced in advance of the upcoming winter season. An online public auction of the 33 chairs from the former Peachtree Lift opens at noon on Friday, August 6 and will continue through noon on Saturday, August 7. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Valley Housing Fund, which supports affordable, energy efficient housing and contributes to more sustainable, resilient and healthy communities within the Gunnison Valley. Members of the public can register for CBMR’s online chair auction and place bids at https://givergy.us/CrestedButteChairAuction. Pre-registration is recommended and FAQs also are available at this website.

Great cultural event lined up at Western
An exciting and dynamic cultural arts education event, Camp Merveilles, will be coming to Western Colorado University August 4-8. Camp Merveilles is a five-day event that will take place this August 4-8. It will celebrate arts and artists from Africa and the Diaspora with participants from around the nation. There will be evening events including a dialogue night on Thursday with Mountain Melanin Project and Camp Merveilles faculty, a DJ dance party on Friday night and an outstanding theater performance on Saturday, August 7. A link to registration and further information can be found at kissidugu.org.

Local Vocals Concert this Friday in Gunnison
Experience a unique concert as local singer-songwriters take the stage to combine their stories, inspiration, music and talent at the Gunnison Arts Center on Friday, July 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and concert kicks off at 8 p.m. Hosted by singer-songwriter Chris Coady, this evening will feature beloved local performers’ newest creations. Catch up with Chris Coady, Patrice Palmer, Evelyn Roper, Kevin Doherty, Alan Wartes and Issa Forrest (joined by daughter Ellie). Sit back in the historic Black Box Theatre and enjoy an exciting evening of diverse musical artistry.

Living Journeys Summit Hike this Saturday
The 21st Living Journeys Summit Hike will take place on Saturday, July 24 on Crested Butte Mountain. The event is a major fundraiser for the organization that supports residents affected by cancer. Do it solo, with a friend or as part of a group, anything to keep you going for an amazing organization. For more information and to register online prior to the day of the event go to livingjourneys.org/summit-hike or show up at the base area on Saturday at 7 a.m. and join in.
Public Policy Forum to feature talk on the power of big tech

Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser will be the fifth speaker at the next Crested Butte Public Policy Forum. The topic of the presentation will be “ Is Big Tech Too Powerful? The Cases against Facebook and Google.” The event will take place July 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. It is free and open to the public.

Music on the Mountain concerts start a six-week run
The first Music on the Mountain will take place Wednesday, July 28 at the CBMR base area. Kicking off this year’s music on the mountain is indie rock band from Denver, Colorado, Wildermiss. The concert series will run through Wednesday, September 1. It is free for everyone and beverages and food will be for sale from Butte 66.

Birthdays:
July 22- Lucy Zavala, Walker Carroll, Lisa D’Arrigo
July 23- Emma Vosburg, Aaron Lypps, Brad Sorock, Denise Duffy, Frank Clause, Denise Reinert, Tim Skafidas
July 24- Tom Miller, Meriska Koekemoer, Jason Berv
July 25- Kori Caskey, Dave Moody
July 26- Denise Brazell
July 27- David Owen, Dano Marshall, Corinna Donovan, Jerry Smith, Paula Dietrich, Reggie Masters
July 28- Bill Mog, Izzy Singleton, Sharon Albrecht, Jane Pilon, Will Bryan

What has been the best part of your summer so far?

Details of a ‘Community Preservation Fee’ still to be worked out

[ By Mark Reaman ]

While actual details of a so-called ‘Community Preservation Fee’ have not been decided or even discussed, the Crested Butte town council on Monday agreed to officially hold a place on the November ballot for voters to consider a new tax on homes not occupied by year-round residents. They also are holding a place for a potential increase in town sales tax. A special meeting to flesh out specifics of the potential new fee has tentatively been scheduled for August 10.

A sometimes vigorous debate over the fee, which some classify as an empty house tax, took place at the July 19 council meeting. Led by Crested Butte finance director Rob Zillioux, town staff is advocating the fee as the best way to raise funds quickly for things like affordable housing, support of locally-owned businesses, arts in the community, open space and climate change projects.

“The community should take the reins of its future,” Zillioux told the council. “People here now want to have the same community the mid-timers were able to have and that is disappearing quickly. Locals should have the opportunity to live here, work here, have a family here. That’s gone from the free market all the way down to CB South. Protecting local businesses is the next stress point and they are big part of the culture here. So are the characters we still have in the community.

“The unintended consequences of growth are smashing us from all sides right now and you can feel the stress of the people in town,” he continued. “Like with the Red Lady fight, this town is going to have to punch above its weight to make a difference. The last time a family with an area median income could aspire to buy a house in town was 2012. Since then wages haven’t kept pace with the increase in real estate prices.”

Zillioux cited the transformation of other resort communities in the West like Moab, Aspen and Jackson, that went from nice communities to “amusement parks for the wealthy.” He said Crested Butte was clearly heading down the same path and the Community Preservation Fee had the ability to thwart that. He advocated for locals to live in Crested Butte citing the fact that if the county’s Whetstone parcel south of town is built out for affordable housing and a significant number of deed restricted units are included in a future North Village subdivision in Mt. Crested Butte, traffic in Crested Butte would begin to mirror the other congested resort communities.

Zillioux’s goal is to have the fee generate $40 million over the next 10 years. “That sounds like a lot of money but it’s not,” he said. “We need that type of real money to do this.”

He argued that second homeowners in town should support the fee since it would help improve their experience when they visit and protect and actually grow their investment. He ended his presentation to the council by reading a passage from the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax.

Town manager Dara MacDonald said given county deadlines, the decision to hold a place on the ballot had to be made at that meeting while details of ballot language could be worked out before the end of August. She indicated the outline of the flat tax ballot language was already written but there were “nuances that need to be discussed and decided on by council.”

“Tonight the decision is not the details but whether to reserve a spot on the ballot to potentially give the people the choice to vote on it,” said councilperson Jasmine Whelan. “The more granular discussion comes later.”

“I appreciate Rob’s presentation,” said councilperson Will Dujardin. “We knew the impacts of STRs and empty homes on the community. This isn’t new. Taxing homes that don’t have people in them can mitigate the impacts. We need to create buy-in to dispel the ‘us versus them’ thing. I think the fee should be simple and be centered on affordable housing. The Community Preservation Fee is something we can all get behind. Our community is at stake.”

“We need money tomorrow,” said Zillioux. “This would allow us to be responsive to opportunities.”

“I’d challenge us to consider a one-percent increase in sales tax,” suggested councilperson Chris Haver. “That would show a willingness of the broader community to participate in the funding and it wouldn’t just be on the Crested Butte second homeowners.”

“I think despite the talk, this is very much an ‘us versus them’ situation,” said mayor Jim Schmidt. “Taxing the hell out of one group doesn’t show a whole lot of love. I think a mill levy is a more fair way to go. We don’t need a vote to raise the property tax five mills and earn a million dollars a year. The town has done a lot with housing for years. I’d like to see the county and Mt. Crested Butte do more for affordable housing and the Whetstone and North Village projects offer that opportunity.”

Schmidt said the flat tax would negatively impact the Crested Butte old timers who still own property in town from the mining days. “A $10,000 a year fee is a lot of money to some people,” he said. “To be clear I agree we need to take action but I disagree with the proposed funding source.”

Schmidt was assured by town attorney John Sullivan that the fee would be defensible if the town was challenged in court and certain exclusions could be allowed.

“It is important to craft this in a way that doesn’t punish people,” said councilperson Mona Merrill. “If it’s not done right it won’t pass on the ballot. Our job is to make the inequality gap between people in town smaller. I like the idea of everyone sharing the burden but I’d like to think we could do this in a loving, compassionate way. It’s staff’s job to present it in a non-inflammatory manner.”
“We need to stop assuming all second homeowners are rich CEOs,” said councilperson Chris Haver. “Not all are. I look at them as regular people.”

The public shares different views
The public spoke both for and against taxing empty homes.

“It’s a democracy and people should be able to vote on taxes bestowed on them,” said Cole Thomas. “Something needs to be on the ballot.”

Brendon Riley owns a trailer in the mobile home park and has been coming to Crested Butte since the 1970s. “I’m not a millionaire or a CEO,” he said. “To put this fee on me in a trailer at the same rate as the multimillion dollar houses across the street on Butte Avenue is not fair. It definitely is an ‘us versus them’ situation. You are calling me something different when you put a tax on me that no one else pays. A lot of people really care about this town. Go to the ones with resources and ask them to pitch in. They’ve proven in the past that they will do so.”

It’s not an attack, it’s an invitation for second homeowners to have a tangible way to help the community,” said Eric Rankin. “I’ve talked to a lot of second homeowners and they get it. I’ve heard positive feedback.”

“Everyone who owns a house here but doesn’t live full time in Crested Butte is getting dumped in the same bucket and that’s not fair,” said Haden Spencer. “It’s inappropriate that every second homeowner is paying the same fee. Circumstances are vastly different between people. I’m a normal person and we are fortunate that our house has been in the family for generations. There is obviously still a ton of conversation needed to figure out the details. Moving ahead with this without details is taking a big risk. There could be a lot of disenfranchised people as a result.”

“I’m not a second homeowner and I agree with the concept but not the route,” said Lisa D’Arrigo. “It really is extremely polarizing. This would be a tax that people have to pay and not everyone is a multi-millionaire. I see the goal but there should be other ways to raise the money. The people this will impact won’t get to vote and the voters wouldn’t have to pay it. There should be ways to make it more equitable”

John Spencer said he had spoke to Valley Housing Fund board members and was asked to gauge interest in raising funds from second homeowners. He indicated that in two hours of initial calls he received positive feedback from four out of five contacts that would be willing to donate six figures to the cause. “Explore less divisive ideas,” he said. “Instead of driving a wedge through the community.”
“Just putting it out there is an attack on second homeowners,” said resident Scott Fulkerson. “If second homeowners can’t vote on it then they don’t really have a voice in it. Even if you don’t mean it to be, it is an ‘us versus them’ thing. This country and this town don’t need more divisiveness.”

“It is a critical issue and exploring all funding mechanisms is important even if the discussion is hard,” commented Odyssey.

“Any initiative that involves preservation of community has my vote,” said Luz LaBoto. “It is ‘us versus them’ for the soul of this town. There are people that want to buy what we have in this town.”

“We need to look at fundraising options,” said Susan Kerns. “We shouldn’t want to divide the community. We need to look at housing in a regional way.”

“The devil will be in the details,” said Margot Levy. “You should consider everything but don’t back away from a solution because it is hard. You need funding sources.”

“It’s not easy and you do have to recognize what Haden did when she organized the Crested Butte Tip Jar site that helped people like me in the service industry during the pandemic,” said Martha Keene. “But holding a space gives the opportunity to put something good together. We need the time to have the conversation.”

“Haden and the CB Tip jar was a huge support mechanism,” agreed Arvin Ramgoolam. “Is there a way to find balance between new people buying in the community as opposed to someone who has owned a house for 20 years?”

“In the ballot language it should take care to exempt people like Haden and Brendon,” said Cole Thomas. “To push you out would destroy what we’re working for. Even if that means we come up with something that raises $1 million instead of $4 million a year it will still help.”

“The bottom line for affordable housing is you need a sustainable, dedicated funding source,” said Jim Starr. “I’ve talked to some second homeowners who support the tax and others that clearly don’t. Perhaps if people donate money to a housing fund they could be exempted for that amount from the tax.”

Town attorney John Sullivan said that idea would have to be investigated to see if it would be legal.

Council willing to talk details
“A dedicated revenue source is important,” said councilperson Jason MacMillan.

“I really would like the staff to come up with other alternatives to the empty house tax,” reiterated Schmidt. “I see this as really divisive but will vote to save a spot on the ballot while we discuss details.”

“The last time it came up, I thought, was awesome,” said councilperson Chris Haver. “But the details ended up not being awesome. What sounds like an easy solution can be tough in the details.”

“We need to consider all the above until they’re shown to be bad ideas,” said Dujardin. “What are people who own houses in town really capable of paying?”

“I think a $7,500 annual fee is too much and would rather see it lower,” said MacMillan. “And I am deeply pensive about losing the trust of the second homeowners in the community.”

“Holding a space now commits us to having a robust conversation” said Whelan. “To Cole’s point, if it pushes people out of the community, no one here wants that on the ballot.”

Council voted 6-0 to reserve a space on the ballot for the Community Preservation Fee with the idea that details will be decided within the next six weeks. At Haver’s suggestion, council voted 5-1 to hold a place on the ballot for an increase in town sales tax to provide funding. Councilperson Mallika Magner was not at the meeting and Dujardin voted against the sales tax idea.

Nothing new, but making it official and hoping to gather momentum

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

Gunnison County officials have changed course from their previous position that actions speak loud enough without declarations, and adopted an official climate change mitigation plan this week. At county commissioner Liz Smith’s prompting in January, as commissioners reviewed their next steps in climate change mitigation, the county has created and approved an official greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation plan to better reflect and communicate the policies and decisions being undertaken. The official Gunnison Valley Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Plan declares the county’s goal to reduce GHGs by 50 percent by 2030 by several measures, including renewable energy, building codes, affordable housing near the municipality centers and improved public transportation.

Previous county efforts include making county buildings more efficient, adopting new energy codes, supporting the Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) growth, establishing programs to help residents lower their energy use and most recently, reducing GHG emissions by 50 percent by 2030. The One Valley Leadership Council (OVLC) and its members will review and likely adopt the plan next as “a roadmap to collaborative action addressing climate change.”

“We have been working on reducing greenhouse gas; we’ve had consistent elements within our strategic plan that address these. There is oftentimes discussion about ‘Where’s the plan?’” said county commissioner chairperson Jonathan Houck. “And plans versus actions are often two different things. We’ve been very action oriented; we’ve been detailing those outcomes and results to the community. But we also realized, and Liz was a strong and loud voice in saying, actually we have some pieces that have been guiding the work that we’ve done and with some work, the ability to move those into a planned document.”

County sustainability director John Cattles said he essentially took the information he presented to commissioners in January and formalized it in a document.

Cattles said he anticipates that the municipalities across the county will adopt it or something similar in the coming weeks. He also predicted that the Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) would consider it as well in the near future, and possibly the school district.

“Most of the large organizations endorsing the same plan and getting on the same page of how we are going to address reducing our emissions is a really good place to be,” said Cattles.

He said the goals will all be updated next year in the county’s biannual strategic plan update.

“But this gives us marching orders now,” he said.

Smith said she was very impressed with the “the astounding leadership” Cattles has shown in leading on the county’s environmental goals, and expressed her appreciation for such a quick turnaround on the document. Houck and commissioner Roland Mason agreed.
Commissioners approved the new plan unanimously, and Mason thanked Smith for bringing the plan to the forefront after the climate change community forum took place in 2019.

“It’s really good to bring this back forward again now that we just signed off on stopping the emergency steps for COVID. We can get back to business as usual,” he said.

Houck echoed the appreciation to Smith.

“And I did it at a moment when everyone was overwhelmed,” she quipped.

When Smith had asked for an official plan at the beginning of this year, county manager Matthew Birnie and Cattles had expressed some trepidation, considering all the steps being taken and how busy the county staff was already.

Mason added that there is still an opportunity to look at capturing the methane that escapes from local mineshafts. Cattles said he and other staff members are looking into the available tools and that step is on the horizon as the technology develops.

Looking for a pro bono attorney…

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

It’s a hot, sunny afternoon and a 68-year-old woman is watering grass seeds to fill out her lawn just north of Gunnison. Even as she is sowing these seeds to improve her property, she wonders if she will soon lose her home of more than 20 years and all that she has put into it.

Residents of the Country Meadows mobile home park were recently informed the park is for sale by the owners, River Walk, LLC, and they might be forced to leave with a pending offer. Given there are hundreds of residents and the county housing situation is beyond tight, Gunnison County officials are getting involved to see if there is anything they can do to keep the residents housed.

River Walk has given residents notice that they anticipate accepting an offer on the property for a purchase price of $2.95 million after fulfilling their legal obligation to provide 90 days notice to the residents. With now only 60 days left, county commissioners pledged on Tuesday, July 20 to do what they can. It is unclear how fruitful that will be, however commissioners will consider the matter more fully during their next work session on July 27.

“I don’t want to be forced to move,” says the woman watering her grass. Her son, who identifies himself as ‘Joe Dirt,’ lives with her and takes turns with the hose when her arm gets sore. Their work is evident in the gardens surrounding their mobile home, which includes large clusters of bright yellow columbines standing over four feet high by the entrance.

“We own the building from the studs in,” says ‘Joe.’ “The park owns it from the studs out. And we can’t pick up the building and take it with us if we have to leave.”

Country Meadows mobile home park is located on Highway 135 near Garlic Mike’s and includes 72 lots and at least 57 structures, according to the county assessor. Most structures are in disrepair. The mobile home owners pay $425 per month in rent to the property owners, “And that cost went up twice during COVID,” notes ‘Joe’s’ mother.

County commissioners listened to many compelling comments from the residents of Country Meadows during the unscheduled citizens’ portion of their July 20 meeting. The comments each included a plea for help so that residents can purchase the property to secure their housing for the future.

Ricardo Esqueda, the community outreach liaison for the city of Gunnison, attended the meeting and translated Spanish to English for most attendees. Gregorio Luna spoke first.

“We are very confused because it seems we have been given three options: we either buy the property, receive money for our trailers, only 50 percent of their cost, or that we have to leave. First of all, we cannot move because our trailers are older. Second of all, we have nowhere to go because there are no other places here. It is for this reason that we ask for help, to help purchase this property,” he said.
Several other speakers echoed Luna’s plea, listing grievances with the current owner such as deferred maintenance, increased rent, eviction threats and lack of response to complaints or safety issues.

“It is very worrisome and causes much sadness,” said Maria Elvia Bejar. “For the well-being and protection of all these families, we do not want to lose our home.”

Maria Plascencia, who has lived there for 12 years, said, “We really wish to buy this property and make things better.”

Diana de La Fuente requested legal counsel and property appraisal. She also spoke of human rights and preventing homelessness. “We are a multi-cultural community,” she said. “The potential housing crisis of locals is evident. We know that neither the City of Gunnison, nor Gunnison County, are prepared for meeting the housing needs of nearly 400 people.” She also described the workforce represented in her community, including construction, maintenance and hospitality workers.

“These people deserve their government’s support. They are hardworking people,” she said.

All three commissioners were visibly moved by the testimony and eager to work on a solution.

Commissioner chairperson Jonathan Houck explained that county staff was familiar with the situation, and community and economic development director Cathie Pagano gave an overview.

“That is an important segment of our community…your strategic plan talks about developing 200 new housing units. I could certainly make an argument that losing 57 housing units would be detrimental to that goal,” she said.

Under a state mobile home oversight program, she said residents get notice of a property sale and have 90 days to organize and make their own offer to purchase it. It is not a first right of refusal, nor does the owner have to accept the offer, she noted.

A letter obtained by the Crested Butte News from River Walk Village, LLC, to the mobile home owners at Country Meadows on June 25, 2021, acknowledged the state mandates. The letter informed owners that, “River Walk Village, LLC intends to make a final, unconditional acceptance of an offer to purchase Country Meadows received June 24, 2021.“

Adam Hamilton, property maintenance manager and resident of Country Meadows, also spoke with the Crested Butte News. Hamilton says he tries to field requests from the community, but he ultimately answers to River Walk Village, who writes his paychecks. But he says even as an owner of three units there, he is not worried about the outcome.

“My understanding is that the owners were pretty particular about who they would sell to. More than 70 families live here,” he added.
Still, Hamilton agreed with his neighbors that the best scenario is for the residents to buy the land. That might require financial gymnastics.

Pagano reviewed that when the park was first listed for sale last year, the Boulder non-profit Thistle, which specializes in such matters, made two offers to purchase the property; neither was accepted. Thistle is now mired in a number of other mobile home purchase projects, but Pagano said they could offer some partial assistance, such as providing a ‘Know your rights’ session with residents.

Pagano said her department has also connected with another group that provides affordable housing loans. She said there is a small possibility for the county to institute a transitional purchase, then transfer the property to the residents. She was not optimistic, but she said she and her staff would pursue all options if the commissioners and county manager wanted to direct them to that end.
The commissioners did so.

“Everyone who has come to talk to us today is an important, respected member of our community,” said Houck, on behalf of the board. “This is a challenge to figure this out. The timeframe is small.” He said they would need to bring the topic back to a formal agenda item, and possibly involve the county attorney’s office. He and commissioners Liz Smith and Roland Mason agreed to use whatever authority and latitude they could to help.

“Developing new affordable housing is a fool’s errand if we can’t hold on to housing,” stated Houck. He also explained that county manager Matthew Birnie, who was absent during the meeting, had wanted to make sure the commissioners understood there were considerable legal risks.

“I want to understand those challenges…and I think this is a place where we lean as far as we can. This is fighting for our community. This is what our #1 job is,” said Houck. He acknowledged that the county staff is shouldering a heavy workload and this would add to it.

“But there is a time and a place where we put more on the plate and I think this is that place,” said Houck.

County attorney Matthew Hoyt said regardless of commissioners’ stance, he believes the residents “are in desperate need of legal representation.”

“All the feelers that we can put out as a county to the attorneys in this valley—which there are many—to see if someone would accept this matter on a pro bono basis, would be of considerable assistance,” suggested Hoyt.

“It will be a very big deal if it’s successful, and my fingers are crossed. But it’s a big challenge,” said Pagano. “But together, let’s try.”

• Gunnison Arts Center Gallery:
Main Gallery: “Into the Wood” by Chelsea Hoitt
Upper Gallery: “Art Is What You Make It” by Jodee Costello
• Kinder Padon Gallery at the CB Center for the Arts:
Curtis Speer & Brandon Reese (thru July 31st)
• Wine and Food Festival at the CB Center for the Arts (thru July 25th). More info at www.cbwineandfood.org

THURSDAY 22
• 9-10:30 a.m. Guided Historic Walking Tour with the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, crestedbuttemuseum.com.
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Beginning Adult Ballet at the Gunnison Arts Center (Thursdays thru July 29).
• 2:15 p.m. Toddle & Waddle Storytime at the Crested Butte Library.
• 3-6 p.m. CB Farmer’s Market at Cranks Plaza (Thursdays thru August 26).
• 3:45 p.m. Special Guest & Fun-filled Activity for Kids 6 and up – Mountain Roots Food Project in our Garden at the Crested Butte Library.
• 4-5:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Garage open for shoppers and donations.
• 4-6 p.m. CB South Farmer’s Market at Red Mountain Park (Thursdays thru September 30).
• 4:30-7 p.m. Watercolor + Wine at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts (Thursdays through September 30).
• 5-6 p.m. Oh Be Joyful/Gunnison Food Pantry Food Bank at 625 Maroon Ave. 970-349-6237. (1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month)
• 5:30-6:30 p.m. Barre Sculpt Intensive at the Gunnison Arts Center. (Thursdays thru July 15)
• 6:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: 11 Step Meditation at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 7-8 p.m. Weekly Crit Club at the Gunnison Arts Center.

FRIDAY 23
• 9-9:45 a.m. Art on the Courtyard at the Gunnison Arts Center (ages 2-5 w/ caregiver, Fridays thru August 13).
• 10:30-11 a.m. Joyful Kids Storytime (Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes) at Oh Be Joyful Church.
• noon Closed AA meeting: Readings from Living Sober at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 2-5 p.m. Paint Your Own Pottery at the Gunnison Arts Center.
• 4-8 p.m. 6th Annual Gunnison Gun Show at 501 East Tomichi Avenue.
• 5 p.m. Fridays at 5:00 Watch Parties with the Crested Butte Music Festival on Facebook, crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.
• 6-9 p.m. Rachel VanSlyke at Garlic Mike’s.
• 6-9:30 p.m. Music + Movie: Chopin and Impromptu at Western Colorado University with the Crested Butte Music Festival.
• 8 p.m. Local Vocals Concert at the Gunnison Arts Center.

SATURDAY 24
• 7:30 a.m. Open AA meeting: Big Book Study at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 8 a.m. CB Nordic Grin & Bear It Trail Run. More info and registration at cbnordic.org.
• 9 a.m. Living Journeys Summit Hike. At the Mt. CB Base Area. Register at livingjourneys.org.
• 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 6th Annual Gunnison Gun Show at 501 East Tomichi Avenue.
• 3 p.m. Rachel VanSlyke at the Eldo.
• 6:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: Literature at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.

SUNDAY 25
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Crested Butte Farmer’s Market on the zero & 100 block of Elk Avenue (Sundays thru October 10).
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 6th Annual Gunnison Gun Show at 501 East Tomichi Avenue.
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday Art Market at the top of Elk Avenue.
• 11 a.m.-noon Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser meet and greet at Tributary Coffee Roasters in Gunnison.
• 11 a.m. Union Congregational Church 20th Annual Worship in the Park service at Rainbow Park.
• 5 p.m. Gypsy Jazz Social Club at Talk of the Town.
• 6 p.m. Sundays @ 6: You Knew Me When in Gunnison.
• 6 p.m. Open AA meeting: Topic Discussion at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.

MONDAY 26
• noon-1:30 p.m. Violin and Piano in the Garden at the Mt. CB Wedding Garden with the Crested Butte Music Festival.
• 3:45 p.m. Creative Craft for Kids 6 and up – Watercolors at the Crested Butte Library.
• 4 p.m. Center for the Arts Tours, register at crestedbuttearts.org.
• 5-6 p.m. OR 6-7 p.m. Aerial Conditioning at the Gunnison Arts Center.
• 5:30-7:30 p.m. Alpenglow: MILLK at the Center for the Arts.
• 6-8:30 p.m. Throw Big or Go Home at the Gunnison Arts Center.
• 7:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: Favorite Big Book Reading at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.

TUESDAY 27
• 7:30 a.m. Open AA meeting: Mediation AA & Al-Anon at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 9-10:30 a.m. Guided Historic Walking Tour with the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, crestedbuttemuseum.com.
• 9:15 a.m. Storytime for all ages at the Crested Butte Library.
• noon Closed AA meeting: Readings from Came to Believe at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 1-3 p.m. Kinder Padon Gallery open at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.
• 4-5:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Garage open for shoppers and donations.
• 4-6 p.m. Whetstone affordable housing input meeting accross from Brush Creek Road.
• 5:30 p.m. Free Yoga Class for Teens & Adults at the Crested Butte Library.
• 5:30-6:30 p.m. Barre Sculpt Intensive at the Gunnison Arts Center.
• 6-8 p.m. Functional Pottery: Hanging Planters at the Gunnison Arts Center.
• 6-9 p.m. Rachel VanSlyke at Montanya Distillery.
• 7 p.m. Crested Butte Public Policy Forum (Colorado Attorney General Phillip Weiser) at the Center for the Arts. (Tuesdays thru August 17)

WEDNESDAY 28
• 8 a.m. Free T’ai Chi Experienced Practitioners at the Tommy V Field.
• 8:30 a.m. HCCA hike: Carbon Creek railroad grade, www.hccacb.org/events/hcca-hikes/.
• 9 a.m. Free T’ai Chi Beginner Practitioners at the Tommy V Field.
• 9:30 a.m. Help Old Rock Garden Grow at the Crested Butte Library.
• noon Closed AA meeting: 12 Step & 12 Tradition Study at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• noon-1 p.m. Representative Lauren Boebert Staff Mobile Office Hours, 138 N Main St., Gunnison.
• 1:30 p.m. Help Old Rock Garden Grow at the Crested Butte Library.
• 5:30 p.m. Music on the Mountain: Wildermiss, at the CBMR base area.
• 7-9 p.m. Weekly Figure Drawing Session at the Shaun Horne Gallery, donations accepted.

Moving from 10,000 to 4,200 and exempting multi-family units

By Katherine Nettles

As issues mount across the Gunnison Valley involving affordable housing, a shortage of service workers, heavy visitation and related backcountry impacts, a concern around large homes going up in iconic view sheds and what effect they might have on the local character and environment has landed in the county’s crosshairs. Gunnison County commissioners have identified maximum house size as an area for potential action, and the Gunnison County planning commission has taken up the task of addressing what should be allowed for new construction before applicants would be required to go through a minor impact review process rather than a simpler administrative one. 

The planning commission indicated last week a willingness to lower the current maximum home size from 10,000 to 4,200 square feet and send a message that the Gunnison Valley is not interested in allowing large, conspicuous homes to be built without more serious consideration to environmental impacts and a more public process. 

In a joint work session with commissioners on Friday, July 9, the planning commission and the community development department discussed potential changes to the Land Use Resolution (LUR) that could lower the limit for residential building sizes and overall lot coverage. After first listening to public comments, the commission’s members discussed what new maximum sizes might strike a balance between reflecting community values and also limiting unnecessary burdens on the planning department. 

The consensus was to work with a new maximum of 4,200 square feet for a primary residence, and 5,700 square feet total with outbuildings. The planning department will work on a document outlining these potential LUR changes, which the planning commission will then vote on. If approved, it will go to the county commissioners for a public hearing and a final vote. 

 The July 9 work session drew several public comments, and most addressed the nexus of the discussion, the recent “Wandering Willows” application that has proposed a 10,000 square foot residence with additional outbuildings totaling around 12,500 square feet within the Slate River viewshed. Most speakers urged the county to create a special use area for the Slate River corridor, and lower the maximum allowable size before an applicant would be required to go through a more in-depth minor impact review process that includes a public hearing.

Crested Butte resident Emily Artale said, “When we allow larger homes they consume more resources… I think we have an obligation to make responsible decisions to limit our impact even if we’re not feeling that impact locally,” she said. She also questioned the impact of larger homes on the affordable housing crisis as property values increase throughout the community. 

Long-time Crested Butte resident Glo Cunningham spoke of her time serving on the Crested Butte Land Trust board of directors when the Slate River wetlands preserve was established in the 1990s at a cost of several million dollars. 

“I’m here to support having as many restrictions as we can on those wetlands. It was a huge, huge project to protect it; it was a fantastic effort and extremely early visionary thinking of the community to want to protect that area. And to see that there is an opportunity for someone to have such a large house there is shocking to me,” she said. “Please work hard on this and do right by our community.”

“We’re not saying you can’t build larger than that, we’re just setting a higher bar, and it’s totally reasonable to set a higher bar for these developments,” added Keith Pearen in regard to the possible LUR change. 

Arvin Ramgoolan likened the caliber of the iconic views of the Slate River corridor to that of the Grand Tetons or the Grand Canyon. “It has welcomed people for decades to our valley, and that’s worth protecting in addition to the wildlife and water,” he emphasized.

Devon Cone said she moved to the north end of the valley two years ago, and agreed that the open spaces are a community value and restricting home sizes is important to her.

After public comment was finished, planning commission member Laura Puckett-Daniels noted that the work session topic would focus only on countywide house sizes versus specific locations within the valley that people might want protected. She then opened the work session.  

Community and economic development director Cathie Pagano and county attorney Matthew Hoyt also noted that several developments in the county had previously been granted covenants that exempt them from any new LUR amendments or limits on new structure sizes. Such developments include Cement Creek at Crested Butte South; Eagle Ridge Ranch; East River Ranches; Red Mountain Ranch; Trappers Crossing and Trappers Crossing South. Those are therefore “grandfathered in” and not susceptible to any new LUR changes. 

“We’ve been tasked with recommending new maximum square footage per lot sizes to the LUR” said Daniels. She reflected that the commissioners as elected officials have been hearing a great deal from their constituents. “And the people have expressed a strong desire for smaller residential maximums,” she said. “Our values are more around conservation and preventing negative environmental impacts…and we can see that as a community those values are also true on the ground.” 

Daniels reviewed data from the planning department that the core of the community is building houses between 2,100 and 2,500 square feet on average, with an aggregate building size of between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet on average. “The bulk of our community has this value at heart, as evidenced by what we are hearing and seeing,” she said.

Daniels then suggested the commission recommend a new primary residence size limit of 4,200 square feet with an additional 1,500 square feet available for other structures, for an aggregate of 5,700 square feet. Daniels suggested that her lower numbers are to answer the call for more environmentally sustainable development.

“I did go more extreme than you all,” Daniels said, addressing county commissioners. “But if we’re concerned about environmental impacts, we need to be making more change in that direction, and capping things at 6,000 and another 2,500 [outbuilding] square footage, I don’t think we’re making a big enough impact.” 

Commissioner chairperson Jonathan Houck said he was comfortable at that range as well, having looked more closely at the issues since his initial suggestion of around 5,000 or 6,000 square foot maximums earlier this summer. “I’m thinking about the priorities of the community right now, and I see housing, and dealing with issues around the impacts from visitation and growth,” he said.   

“We’ve got to get to a new square footage that’s reasonable and accessible and it’s that sweet spot where it’s not overloading the staff and planning commission with all these minor impact reviews,” he said. 

Planning commissioner Andy Sovick pointed out that the suggestion of 4,000 square feet was not going to make much change, so much as preventing things from getting worse. “My reaction is that’s not very radical,” he quipped. “Our current limit is so high that it’s almost like people can do whatever they want.” He said he would like to see a lower number, if it wouldn’t burden county staff too much.

County commissioner Roland Mason predicted that there would be more homes coming in at 5,000 and 6,000 square feet and said he believed a 4,200 square foot maximum would in fact create more burdens on staff to manage these applications and subsequent minor impact reviews. He suggested between 5,000 and 6,000 square foot maximums for primary residences or a 7,000 square foot aggregate to allow for accessory dwellings and garages.

Pagano reviewed the county data and said there were not many 4,000, much less 5,000 square foot homes being built just yet. “Last year, one was above 5,000 and two were above 4,000. In 2019, there were three or four around 4,800 and above. I think those are manageable,” she said, from a workload perspective for her department. “And I suspect that most of them are in areas that will be exempt from review, like East River Ranches, Trappers, etc.” she said. 

Houck expressed an opinion that policy comes first. “If we are creating policy that reflects the values of the community, and we get to a point where there’s a staffing issue that it impacts, it’s our responsibility to find and allocate money, personnel and the necessary tools we need to address that.” 

Sovick countered that increasing staff numbers could add to building costs, and that can become a barrier to affordability.   

County commissioner Liz Smith said that people who are building homes above 4,000 square feet are not as affected by increasing costs for those more extensive minor impact reviews. 

At the other end of the spectrum, officials discussed at length how to exempt multi-family housing from the square footage maximum, so as to keep multi-family and affordable housing projects from incurring additional costs and delays in the approval process. There was consensus to work that exemption into the amendment language. 

Pagano said her department would take this direction for a new maximum of 4,200 square feet or 5,700 including outbuildings and create a document for the planning commission to consider and vote on at a future meeting. If the planning commission approves of the document as an LUR amendment, it would move to the county commissioners, who would hold a public hearing and then a final vote.