Laura Puckett Daniels
On August 7th and last week on September 18, Gunnison County organized two public hearings on the Special Area Regulations (SAR), which are informed by the Gunnison Area Plan (GAP). This is a state -driven, communal framework that tries to protect the development needs with the protection of Gunnison's open space, rural character and values in order to plan appropriately for future growth.
Over 100 people took part between the two hearings, and I would like to thank the residents of Gunnison County, who continue to appear and take part in the important conversations about our common future. Your voices are important and the planning commission and the district commissioners listen. We appreciate the time, thinking and the care that our community puts in this dialogue.
The pressure of growth
It is difficult to talk about growth. We love our small cities and our rural character; We love our neighbors, quiet streets and agricultural areas. At the same time, the growth pressure is real. Many of our friends and neighbors need a safe, stable living space that you can afford. Some people want to develop their country and we have buyers from all over the country who fight for the houses and lots of our county. By planning the future, we can fulfill this pressure and at the same time keep our values intact.
Living space is one of our most difficult problems. The evaluation of the 2024 apartment requirement states that we need 1,300 other residential units to cover the current and increased demand by 2029. Many of us agree that the best place is in our communities, and the city of Gunnison revises its country development code with guidelines that promote this. But there is still pressure in the county to develop. So what do we want to look like in 50 years that our country will not be able to look in 50 years?
The risk of spread
On the one hand, I would like to make sure that we still have working ranches in the future. I would like herds of wild animals that move freely in the landscape and can raise healthy boys. I want clean and plentiful water in our rivers, reservoirs and fountains. But one of the greatest threats to these values is the spread.
Spread is what you see when a community enables unplanned, unintentional development in the district. It is a house, a subdivision, a storage unit at the same time that sneaks out of the municipal borders and fills the AG countries. It is what happens when you put a house on a morning (or 5 hectares or 35 hectares) until you have filled all developed morning. The spread eats land, eats wildly habitat and eats water. If you live in this one house on 10 hectares, you probably love it, but the chances tend to live for the hundreds of people who are currently in our community who need a place to live.
The opposite of spread is compact development. The compact development is when you build and concentrate people next to the city and the existing communities to preserve the lying country for agriculture and wild animals. If you continue the streets in the neighborhood and the walkability. If you are connected to existing supply companies to avoid a variety of new wells and sewage pits that threaten the existing water quality and supply.
Understand the plans
The Gunnison Area plan is currently a draft document in which the values and vision for the future of the areas are available within three miles from the city's border. The district has shown some of these areas as part of a “special area”, and we create a regulatory framework for the use of the country, which can be referred to as special area regulations. The goals of the gap and the SAR are several times: to meet the legal requirement for Gunnison, to have a three-mile plan; Development near our population centers and in connection with supply companies; More residential home can afford to afford; And to further protect areas from population centers for agriculture and wild animals.
It is also important that it ensures that we have clear, predictable checking procedures instead of starting every time from the front when developmental proposals are clear. These are many goals that you should tackle at the same time! But all of these problems have connected, so this process includes a wide conversation in the community to try to achieve the right balance.
Without the gap, a developer could contact us at any time to demand almost everything. The current land development process through the land usage decision of the district is fairly simple for a single home on a property, but the process can take years for subdivisions or several units.
We have repeatedly heard from local parishioners that this process stops creating more living space and makes it more expensive. The gap and the accompanying SAR should offer developers clarity and certainty to make it easier for them to invest in our community so that we all have more apartment options.
But it's not just about developers. If the regulations are informed by your voice, you become a reflection of the values and goals of our community and ensure that future development matches what we need and want. Does this mean that every person becomes 100% of loved ones what is on schedule? No, it doesn't. However, if we listen to your feedback now and have included the feedback that we have received from years of planning efforts, we hope to make the gap a clear statement of our values, the SAR becomes a regulatory framework that supports these values.
Misunderstandings
I would also like to clarify what the gap and the SAR are not, especially for our neighbors in Dos Rios. The gap is not a development proposal. Rather, it is a framework – a planning tool that is supposed to lead potential future development within three miles from the city of Gunnison. Some residents believe that the Dunbar package alongside DOS Rios is planned to resort with a high density.
The fact is that a private institution does not give a current application to develop this property, and the district does not consider building on this property. This plan prescribes the development there or somewhere else. It is simply determined where the development can be taken into account and parameters for what this development should look like, whether landowners or developers should submit suggestions in the future.
It is important to understand that what is actually defined in these areas will ultimately depend on developers, landowners and the market. The SAR is the regulatory framework that ensures compatibility with our community goals so that we can take on a proactive role in the steering of our community through the pressure and changes.
Years in the formation
This work did not start overnight. The GAP process began in 2022 and in recent years, district employees, employees of the city and parishioners were involved in the design of the goals and considerations, which now occur in the gap through open houses, written comments, editors, working sessions and public hearings. The hearing of the last week regarding the SAR is only the latest step in our public commitment. The next hearing will take place on October 23 and you can also submit a written comment (see below).
Ultimately, the thoughtful planning now helps us to avoid random or pieces of decisions later. It will help us solve our living needs and at the same time protect water, wild animals, agriculture and public security. By creating a framework that prevents undesirable spread, we can rationalize future processes, give landowners clarity and ensure that the public continues to have a voice. These efforts are more about being proactive than reactive. It is about creating more places of life and at the same time keeping the places we love.
Stay engaged
To be clear, the Board of Directors of the district commissioners did not vote on the acceptance of the SAR, nor did we decide on all the details. This process continues and your input is part of what influences the result. As your commissioner, I am still committed to transparency, open dialogue and careful decision -making. I encourage all residents to stay committed and continue to ask questions.
Continue your views, both verbally in meetings and in writing by e -mail (Planungs@gunnnisoncounty.org) or in writing or email you directly to your commissioner. Together we can ensure that growth in Gunnison County reflects and preserves our common priorities, which makes this valley so special.
(Laura Puckett Daniels is a commissioner of Gunnison County.)