Hello all,
We’re keeping a close eye on the county’s master plan revision, which may be used as an end run around the December 21 court ruling that reversed the county’s Diamond Ridge rezoning. Will county planners and commissioners adopt a new regional master plan that allows the massive development they seek on 39 of the 105 acres they now own on Deep Creek Mesa? Time will tell, and it’s important for anyone who cares about future growth, affordable housing, and open space preservation around Telluride to stay involved in the process.
The county is in the process of revising the regional master plan around Telluride, renamed the East End Master Plan. Remember, the court overturned the Diamond Ridge rezoning in part because it conflicted with the existing regional master plan. (The Board of County Commissioners “misapplied the law by spot zoning the Diamond Ridge Property in disregard of the Master Plan and other regulations,” the court concluded. Read court ruling here.)
It could be that the East End Master Plan revision process is purposefully headed toward an intentionally vague plan that does not spell out in a binding way where future growth will or will not occur, or at what densities. Conversely, the revised plan could specifically allow high-density development in places previously zoned low density or Forestry/Agriculture—not only on and around Deep Creek Mesa, but in other semi-rural areas skirting Telluride such as near Ophir. Either way, if this is the county’s intent, it is a dangerous end result and affects ALL of us who care about preservation of low densities in areas intended and explicitly protected by the current master plan.
It’s important that the public stays informed about the process and gives input. The next chance to do that is this Thursday, January 26, 9 – 11 a.m. via zoom; link and agenda here. Please consider participating.
Secondly, there is another public meeting coming up worth attending, which is Mountain Village’s Housing Forum on Tuesday, January 31, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. (details here) where discussion will focus in part on the 50-acre Alexander Property near Ilium (news article here). We will discuss this more in our post next week.
Our group of advocates continues to need support to pay legal bills and conduct outreach. Please consider donating for the first time, or for an additional time, to help us keep addressing the collective concerns. Also, please consider writing a letter to the editor expressing your concerns or hopes regarding the future of Deep Creek Mesa, housing development and growth, and/or the master plan process, editor@telluridenews.com.
You may give through this link for convenience; however, the credit card and third-party Stripe fee take away 6% of the donated amount. If you would like to donate a large amount, please consider giving by check to avoid that fee and mail to PO Box 1744, Telluride 81435; or contact info@lastdollarcollective.com if you would like to hand deliver it to one of the group’s core members.
