Hold off on approving new developments until the Gunnison Valley Corridor Plan is complete

Editor:

Driving north from Gunnison to Crested Butte, the landscape is dominated by forest, river, and cow pastures – It's one of the few remaining “up valley” trips that gives people the feeling of getting away from the world, embarking on an adventure into the mountains, and embracing life in a small mountain community. 

Almost everywhere else in our lovely State of Colorado – when you approach a major ski area – the trend is that you must drive through miles and miles of condos and homes. There are more people; more businesses; stoplights, roundabouts, and parking lots; and ultimately a vortex of thousands of people rushing to the ski area for a powder day. It’s well known that the typical Colorado mountain town model has created issues especially when it comes to affordable housing and insufficient infrastructure to support people. 

Right now, Gunnison to Crested Butte is different from other Colorado mountain valleys. Yet the recent private property proposals to subdivide large acres of pasture land into dense blocks of homes, condos, and (somewhat) affordable housing is a major concern that could result in drastic and unintended consequences for the quality of life that we enjoy here today. 

Go check out the grocery store in Buena Vista or Breckenridge. The small parking lot, small parking spaces, narrow aisles, and constant hum of activity is a real example of what can happen when Colorado mountain communities allow large scale developments to accommodate more people without addressing all of the impacts that come with growing populations and visitation—including impacts to our valley’s waters and wildlife. 

Quite a few members of our community, including High Country Conservation Advocates, are hopeful that the upcoming Gunnison County-led Gunnison Valley Corridor Plan will be a valuable community process that provides professional thought and insight, as well as community engagement and input, to create a clear and agreed upon vision for what’s next. 

High Country Conservation Advocates is opposed to approving the Lower Verzuh subdivision proposal or any other subdivision development adjacent to Highway 135 before the completion of the Valley Corridor Plan. These private parcels have remained undeveloped to this day – let’s not allow a proposal of this complexity to be moved forward at the final hours before starting a planning process. It’s likely that if approved as is – it will become yet another location that is out of character with the neighboring properties and viewsheds that surround it. 

With our community on the doorstep of a major planning process – please let the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners know that you support holding off on approving new developments until the Valley Corridor Plan is complete. 

Jon Hare

Advocacy director

High Country Conservation Advocates