Diego Plata and Laura Puckett Daniels | Special to the Times
Let’s take a moment to think about what’s changed in 25 years. Smartphones, Zoom calls and electric vehicles are a few obvious things, but also on the list are the gray hairs on our heads, skyrocketing housing prices and hotter, dryer summers. One thing that hasn’t changed in over 25 years is the City of Gunnison’s 3-mile plan, and it’s high time we looked at it. The 3-mile plan is required by the state and outlines what areas within three miles of the city’s current boundaries could be annexed into the city. Since 2022, the city and Gunnison County have worked together to plan for the areas that fall within this zone, with particular emphasis on the north and west of Gunnison. While we intended to complete the new plan in 2023, a consultant change and a few name changes later, we’re hoping to complete what is now known as the “Gunnison Area Plan” this year.Aside from the legal requirements for the plan, it is clear to both Gunnison City Council and the Board of County Commissioners that a lot has changed, and we need our community plans to respond to current and future needs. For example, in the 2024 housing needs assessment, 92% of employers indicated that housing was a challenge, and 41% said it is the No. 1 issue they face. With only a 1% rental vacancy rate (4-6% is healthy), we know first-hand that many folks in our community are unhoused or living in crowded, expensive, unsuitable or unstable housing. If we’re going to solve this widespread community problem, we are going to need to build more housing. So where should it go? The county is working to define special zones to ease the permitting process for developing housing. What rules, regulations and processes are the best fit to guide a thriving community? The city needs to upgrade its water infrastructure to ensure there is ample water quality and quantity for the future — a challenging and expensive need. What’s the most efficient way to plan and pay for these improvements? The city is undertaking an economic development plan to ensure vitality in downtown Gunnison, and one of the key components is supporting entrepreneurs and Western Colorado University students that want to build lives here. But we know there is a need for more commercial and maker spaces. Where should those go? These are the kinds of questions we’re tackling in the Gunnison Area Plan. It will be a vision for how north and west Gunnison develop to not just meet today’s challenges, but those of the future. It’s looking another 25 years out to think about where housing, small commercial and maker spaces and infrastructure should go to form a vibrant, connected and appropriate extension of the City of Gunnison.Many of you participated in a survey, open house and other public feedback sessions in 2023. We appreciate your input and have been diligent about incorporating it into the plan. That said, we know it’s been a long time since you’ve had a look at this process, so as we start to move the plan forward, we want to take a moment to catch you up on where we have been and where we’re going.
Fall 2022: City and county councils and planning commissions meet for a kick-off session.
• Spring 2023: Plan open houses, questionnaire and tabling at parent-teacher conferences.
• Fall 2023: City and county councils and planning commissions review feedback and draft ideas for development zones, and provide their input.
• 2024: Hiatus for consultant change and utility capacity analysis.
• March 2025: City and county councils hold a joint work session to review geographic zones for potential future development.
And that brings us to today! The next step is for the county to consider a special area designation for the Gunnison Area Plan. As we start to develop a concrete vision for the area, we want to be sure we hear from you. Please join us at an open house at the Gunnison County Public Library between 3-6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6. There, we’ll be able to share what our councils have agreed on so far and what the public’s feedback has been. We’ll also have staff and elected representatives there to answer questions and hear your thoughts. Thank you for caring about our community and what it looks like in the future. Your participation will help ensure that Gunnison 25 years from now still feels like the place you call home, even while others get to call it home, too.(Diego Plata is the mayor of Gunnison and Laura Puckett Daniels is chairperson of the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners.)
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