This week, Town Council convened for a regular meeting to discuss items including a potential housing development at 431 Emma Road and the possible timeline for the next stages of the Midland Avenue Streetscape Project.
No citizens stepped up during the period for general public comments. Mayor Kane offered praise for the continued success of the summer concert series and the Sunday Market. Town Manager Ryan Mahoney, in his report, provided a quick update on the Midland Money voucher program. According to Mahoney, there are about 50 vouchers of 500 left at the time of the meeting. Each is valued at $20 and usable at participating businesses on Midland and will be distributed at free weekly events and good until the end of September.
Additionally, Manager Mahoney reminded Council about the mural contest which opened on Aug. 20. Citizens around Midland can check out seven murals posted up and down the street and vote for their favorite one on the Town’s official website under the “Basalt Public Arts Commission” tab. When the voting period ends on Sept. 3, the winning artist will be asked to re-create their mural permanently on a building somewhere downtown.
Next up, Jadwin Park, LLC presented a PUD application for the development of a housing complex at 431 Emma Road which would include 68 dwelling units, 12 short-term rental cabins and seven glamping pads. This property, located just downriver from the public library, has previously been pitched for development — once as an RV park and once as a 180+ unit complex. Now, Jadwin Park wishes to create a space that balances density with the natural scenery, taking advantage of the already existing green space and accounting for public desire for density over sprawl. The section to the north of the parcel would be designated for public river access.
Additionally, Jadwin Park intends to develop the space into a variety of middle-class housing options, stating that due to the lot’s location adjacent to the highway, luxury housing would be impractical. Of the dwelling units proposed, 24 would be deed-restricted affordable housing. Council withheld their comments and questions for the plan, as subsequent to this meeting there will be a public hearing for citizens to offer their comments and questions about the proposed development.
The following presentation was the bi-weekly Midland Avenue update by Dave Detwiler of Wember Inc. Detwiler announced that the space on the spur just outside Town Hall is slated to be paved next week, and Phase 1 reportedly should be open to the public by early September.
As of the day of the meeting, the asphalt was broken from Alpine Bank up to Tempranillo with Phase 2 gathering steam. The underground portion of Phase 2, which will replace the waterline and utility connections from the Spur up to Homestead Drive, is set to be completed before the ground freezes, and the controversial above-ground improvements making up the rest of Phase 2 are not scheduled to begin until spring of 2024. According to Detwiler, much of the construction team’s energy is devoted to keeping parking accessible during construction and value engineering to keep costs down.
After this, the Council began a series of actions, the first of which was the interview and appointment of Basalt resident Bob Kaplan to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Kaplan, with 23 years of experience as a commercial real estate broker, was unanimously approved for his new position.
Next was a second reading and unanimous approval of an ordinance for the town to lease the Stott’s Mill Daycare Space. After some difficulties finding interested daycare providers to take the space over the winter, the Town received a joint proposal from Blue Lake Preschool and the Basalt Education Foundation. However, the pair are still in the process of securing funds to complete the space, so the town has decided to enter a lease with the developer in order to give them time.
The last two actions included the first reading for an amendment to the Public Works Manual to reinsert structural soil requirements, inadvertently removed during the Manual’s amendment in 2022, as well as a resolution to approve a roughly $100,000 contract with Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes to vegetate the Midland Spur post-construction. With the approval of these two items, the meeting concluded.