The evening of Jan. 11, the Crystal River Caucus convened for a lengthy discussion concerning the Redstone Castle, Filoha Meadows and the Crystal River’s potential Wild and Scenic designation.
The meeting opened with a presentation concerning the latest developments with the Redstone Castle, led by private Land Use Planner Glenn Horn. The Redstone Castle, included in the National Register of Historic Places, is now anticipating a conversion into a wellness and longevity resort.
The Castle was purchased in April of 2022 by Stephane De Baets of RC Ownership LLC from April and Steven Carver. Currently, the Castle is planned to become Thailand-based RAKxa Integrated Wellness’s flagship U.S. location. The Carvers initially had a plan for construction on the Redstone Castle property which had been approved by Pitkin County but had not yet been realized, so De Baets and RC Ownership have been developing a new plan to better fit their intentions.
In the first plan for the Castle, presented to the caucus in July, the main building and the carriage house would be partially converted into guest rooms. Currently, however, both buildings will only be devoted to treatment. For housing its guests, the current owners of the property propose to construct four cottages and four cabins. These eight buildings were initially part of the previous owners’ approved plan, but the cottages were initially placed in such a way that would disrupt a stand of well-loved Ponderosa pines. After some feedback, the cottages have been moved beside the cabins to keep as many of the old trees standing as possible. Conservation seems to be a priority of the Castle’s new development, as the new owners have also proposed an 85-acre wildlife conservation easement.
De Baets attended the caucus to take questions with Horn, addressing concerns of traffic and access. Because the resort will not be taking day appointments — instead guests stay for a week at a time — and employee housing is provided, the two were optimistic that traffic would not be significantly affected. The two have also worked with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails (PCOST) to ensure that public access to climbing routes through the property is preserved.
Filoha Meadows
Following, Carly O’Connell of PCOST presented on the draft management plan update for Filoha Meadows Nature Preserve. Since the original plan’s approval in 2008, PCOST has acquired two parcels of land to the west and south of the original preserve. The parcel to the south will connect to PCOST’s planned two administrative units beside the Filoha Meadows trailhead, which, once completed, will provide managers with a base of operations not just for Filoha but for other spaces up and down the Crystal River.
The Filoha Meadows trailhead has been historically accessed via Dorais Way, known legally as County Road 3b. However, a lawsuit is ongoing between Pitkin County and the Rock Creek Association (RCA), representing homeowners of the area for the usage of this road. In 2020, RCA placed a gate on Dorais Way and closed it to public access, leading to a lawsuit by Pitkin County for stealing property. PCOST’s current plan assumes that Pitkin County will succeed, and that the road will be open for public access, but the lawsuit is ongoing.
Wild and Scenic
The last item of the night was a brief update on the Crystal River’s potential Wild and Scenic designation, one of the strongest forms of protection for waterways in the U.S. which would both ensure the river is protected from development as well as remain accessible to outdoor recreation. While this is desirable by many in the caucus, some were concerned about how the designation would affect developments on private property. This designation would also entail a legislative process that can take years, so a committee concluded that pushing for state and local protections — which can be acquired faster — may be ideal in the short term.
The Crystal River Collaborative Steering Committee is continuing discussions over the ramifications of Wild and Scenic designation and will continue considering how to balance the designation with other, faster protections through next February before taking specific action.