River Edge development review on hold

GLENWOOD SPRINGS – A hearing about the controversial River Edge development between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale has been postponed until Sept. 14 at the developer’s request.

A hearing was to be held Wednesday before the Garfield County Planning and Zoning Commission. But the developers, Carbondale Investments LLC, asked to continue it.

“The principal reason for the continuance was to allow the landowner … to obtain final water rights decrees for the project,” said Rockwood Shepard, a representative of the developers.

Shepard said the property owners expect to have the water rights in hand by the end of July.

The River Edge project, being planned for a 280-acre former ranch at the intersection of Cattle Creek Road and Highway 82, calls for 366 residential units and up to 30,000 square feet of public, quasi-public and commercial space on 160 acres of the overall parcel.

The issue of water rights was one of several raised in a letter to the developers from the county planning staff.

The July 5 letter from senior planner Kathy Eastley asked for more information about water rights, private roads to be located within the project, water and wastewater service and treatment issues, recreational amenities, mass transit access, technical planning and zoning issues and other matters.

Eastley, in the letter, informed the developers that “this list is provided as a starting point to move forward with the review of this project.”

jcolson@postindependent.com