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Who cares about Fields project?

On April 21, the commissioners of the Roaring Fork Valley Regional Planning Commission recommended by a 3-2 vote to upzone the controversial Fields development project. The three commissioners voting in favor of the of upzoning and recommending approval to the Eagle County commissioners are Chair Phillip Ring and board members Bob Andre and JR Spung.

Commissioners Ring, Andre and Spung in their vote to approve the Fields development essentially sent this message to the midvalley community: “We don’t care!“

“We don’t care!” that more than 400 midvalley residents signed a petition in opposition to the Fields development. “We don’t care!” that by a 3-1 count letters and emails submitted to Eagle County were against the development. “We don’t care!” even after being cited by responsible fellow commissioners opposing the upzoning that the project does not meet certain standards such as adequate infrastructure, failed intersections (El Jebel Road and Highway 82) as well as non-compatibility with surrounding uses and properties. “We don’t care!” about issues brought forth including public safety, environmental concerns, density, the lack of pedestrian trails and cycling access, as well as no mass-transit proximate to the development.



What commissioners Ring, Andre and Spung did care about was choosing to approve the maximum zoning designation of residential multi-family on a site currently categorized as rural residential.

Development will occur in the Eagle County midvalley area, but it must be done in a responsible and reasonable manner. Misters Ring, Andre and Spung do not care for such an approach, but one would hope that Eagle County Commissioners Chandler-Henry, McQueeney and Scherr, who bear the responsibility of the final denial or approval of the Fields project, do in fact care.




Mark Fortunato

El Jebel