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BASALT — A development proposal that triggered Basalt’s most controversial land-use battle of 2007 has resurfaced this spring in front of Pitkin County officials.
Developer David Fiore applied recently to Pitkin County for amendments to the land-use code that would allow him, if approved, to build an affordable housing project just outside of Basalt.
Fiore and his firm, Western Peak LLC, were unable to gain approval from Basalt last year for a project called Sopris Chase. Fiore owns 22 acres of vacant land near Basalt High School. He wanted that property included in the town’s urban growth boundary — an area deemed appropriate for growth.
The majority of the Basalt Town Council opposed including it in the boundary. Therefore, Fiore’s Sopris Chase housing development wasn’t reviewed.
Fiore proposed building 100 percent of the replacement housing needed to relocate residents of the Roaring Fork Mobile Home Park, which he also owns. The trailer park, home to more than 50 families, is located in the heart of Basalt along the Roaring Fork River. It is at risk of flooding in high runoff years. Fiore’s firm is working with the Catholic Archdiocesan Housing out of Denver to try to provide replacement housing.
<b>Switching venues</b>
After it became clear that Basalt wouldn’t review Sopris Chase, Fiore decided to seek approval from the Pitkin County commissioners. He submitted an application to Pitkin County on March 21 to amend the county land-use code in a way that would allow his affordable housing project. That includes rezoning his 22 acres.
The introduction letter to his application denied that he is shopping for a jurisdiction that will be more accommodating to his proposal.
“We want to emphasize that the submission of our zoning request in no way is a representation that our company is seeking to avert the Town of Basalt’s review of our application,” Fiore’s letter to the county said. “In fact, that is quite to the contrary.
“We believe that the proper solution will involve Pitkin County, Eagle County, the Town of Basalt, our company, and we should all be grateful for the Archdiocesan Housing’s continued commitment to work with us on this challenging, but worthy and extraordinary, public issue,” the letter said.
To make his proposal even more alluring, Fiore suggested that Sopris Chase would provide replacement housing for the Pan & Fork Mobile Home Park as well as his trailer park. The Pan & Fork also is considered imperiled by flooding.
Sopris Chase also could make affordable housing units available for teachers, firefighters and employees of the library district, his application letter said.
<b>Not a simple discussion</b>
Pitkin County’s review of the project isn’t as simple as deciding if the affordable housing project is worthwhile or not. Pitkin County and Basalt have an agreement to coordinate land-use planning on projects that are on the edge of the town.
That agreement says the county won’t approve urban level development outside of the town’s urban growth boundary unless “the development is necessary to remove households from unsafe conditions” and “the development is consistent with the goals of the Basalt Master Plan.”
Fiore’s project clearly would remove households from unsafe conditions. It might be a tougher sell to convince county officials that the application is consistent with the Basalt Master Plan since the council majority determined otherwise in October. The council majority determined it was best to keep a rural buffer in the area where Fiore wants to build housing.
Fiore argued in his letter that the Basalt Planning and Zoning Commission adopted a master plan which included his property in the urban growth boundary, but the council overrode that decision. The planning commission’s adopted plan is “consistent” with the county commissioners’ commitment to resolving the relocation of the trailer park residents, Fiore wrote. Therefore, he wants the county to approve the rezoning that will allow him to build the replacement housing.
Pitkin County is seeking what is known as “referral comments” from Basalt before the county Planning Commission starts review of Fiore’s project on May 20. In addition, the county commissioners and Basalt Town Council are scheduled to meet May 13 to discuss a variety of topics.
scondon@aspentimes.com
Developer David Fiore applied recently to Pitkin County for amendments to the land-use code that would allow him, if approved, to build an affordable housing project just outside of Basalt.
Fiore and his firm, Western Peak LLC, were unable to gain approval from Basalt last year for a project called Sopris Chase. Fiore owns 22 acres of vacant land near Basalt High School. He wanted that property included in the town’s urban growth boundary — an area deemed appropriate for growth.
The majority of the Basalt Town Council opposed including it in the boundary. Therefore, Fiore’s Sopris Chase housing development wasn’t reviewed.
Fiore proposed building 100 percent of the replacement housing needed to relocate residents of the Roaring Fork Mobile Home Park, which he also owns. The trailer park, home to more than 50 families, is located in the heart of Basalt along the Roaring Fork River. It is at risk of flooding in high runoff years. Fiore’s firm is working with the Catholic Archdiocesan Housing out of Denver to try to provide replacement housing.
<b>Switching venues</b>
After it became clear that Basalt wouldn’t review Sopris Chase, Fiore decided to seek approval from the Pitkin County commissioners. He submitted an application to Pitkin County on March 21 to amend the county land-use code in a way that would allow his affordable housing project. That includes rezoning his 22 acres.
The introduction letter to his application denied that he is shopping for a jurisdiction that will be more accommodating to his proposal.
“We want to emphasize that the submission of our zoning request in no way is a representation that our company is seeking to avert the Town of Basalt’s review of our application,” Fiore’s letter to the county said. “In fact, that is quite to the contrary.
“We believe that the proper solution will involve Pitkin County, Eagle County, the Town of Basalt, our company, and we should all be grateful for the Archdiocesan Housing’s continued commitment to work with us on this challenging, but worthy and extraordinary, public issue,” the letter said.
To make his proposal even more alluring, Fiore suggested that Sopris Chase would provide replacement housing for the Pan & Fork Mobile Home Park as well as his trailer park. The Pan & Fork also is considered imperiled by flooding.
Sopris Chase also could make affordable housing units available for teachers, firefighters and employees of the library district, his application letter said.
<b>Not a simple discussion</b>
Pitkin County’s review of the project isn’t as simple as deciding if the affordable housing project is worthwhile or not. Pitkin County and Basalt have an agreement to coordinate land-use planning on projects that are on the edge of the town.
That agreement says the county won’t approve urban level development outside of the town’s urban growth boundary unless “the development is necessary to remove households from unsafe conditions” and “the development is consistent with the goals of the Basalt Master Plan.”
Fiore’s project clearly would remove households from unsafe conditions. It might be a tougher sell to convince county officials that the application is consistent with the Basalt Master Plan since the council majority determined otherwise in October. The council majority determined it was best to keep a rural buffer in the area where Fiore wants to build housing.
Fiore argued in his letter that the Basalt Planning and Zoning Commission adopted a master plan which included his property in the urban growth boundary, but the council overrode that decision. The planning commission’s adopted plan is “consistent” with the county commissioners’ commitment to resolving the relocation of the trailer park residents, Fiore wrote. Therefore, he wants the county to approve the rezoning that will allow him to build the replacement housing.
Pitkin County is seeking what is known as “referral comments” from Basalt before the county Planning Commission starts review of Fiore’s project on May 20. In addition, the county commissioners and Basalt Town Council are scheduled to meet May 13 to discuss a variety of topics.
scondon@aspentimes.com
