Dear Editor:

I wholeheartedly agree with your Oct. 5 editorial concerning further expanding Willits: Basalt Town Council should reverse its earlier preliminary decision to approve adding 150,000 square feet of new residential development to this already oversized development. Without transparent and compelling data showing that these residences offer overwhelming benefits to the community, then council should deny the request for expansion.

Looking beyond the borders of the Willits development, the case against expanding their residential approvals becomes clearer. While Willits is within the town’s Urban Growth Boundary, so are plans for more than 2,000 additional homes in and around Basalt. Adding more units at Willits will not be offset by less development elsewhere within the Urban Growth Boundary. It just adds to this already high number. Density is better than suburban sprawl, but density alone is not sufficient justification for adding more to this development.

David Cramer

Basalt