Re: Harvest Village
By Roger Berliner
Editor’s Note: Roger Berliner is a Sopris Sun board member, and has submitted this guest column outside of that capacity and of his own accord.
Land use issues, without a doubt, rank at the top of the hard work you do. I know. I spent 12 years as the equivalent of a county commissioner back east representing a district of 200,000 residents. And land use was the hardest work I did. I was even hung in effigy for agreeing that we could do better on the site of a struggling, old shopping center.
But not all of the decisions are hard. Some are just so wrong. I respectfully submit that the Harvest Village proposal coming before you, a proposal that would put upwards of 5,000 people, 1,500 dwelling units and a hotel on 283 acres at the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Roaring Fork River should not be hard to decide. It is so wrong.
Here is one way of framing the issues: 1) what has been the conclusion of those you have entrusted to advise you on planning matters; 2) is it consistent with our county code and plan for growth; and 3) if it passes both of those thresholds questions, does it enhance or degrade what makes this part of our county so special?
- Planning staff and your Planning Board came to the same conclusion: this plan should not be approved.
- The evidence submitted by the Cattle Creek Confluence Coalition to the Planning Commission at the public hearing on March 11, definitively demonstrated that the proposal meets neither the county’s adopted comprehensive plan or the county code in almost countless ways. Additionally, as deficient as the proposal is, it is not even binding on the developer since the promises put forth in the application were not “regulatory” commitments, but merely unenforceable pledges. These failures are not minor – they go to the heart of what citizens have the right to rely upon.
- The evidence on the merits is equally clear: Consolidating 1,500 homes and a hotel on these 283 acres along Highway 82 and our Roaring Fork River degrades the very qualities that make this part of the valley so extraordinary.
Nature. The pristine flow of the Roaring Fork River. The elk herds and other wildlife that pass through. The bountiful presence of trout, herons and so much more that only thrive in pure flows, and the livelihoods of those who depend upon the river’s national reputation. All degraded.
Fundamentally, the proposal is totally incompatible with the rural nature of this part of our county. Instead, it creates a new urban center that looks like it belongs in Denver or Dallas, not Cattle Creek. Rather than solving problems, it creates more nightmare scenarios. Our traffic gets much worse, not better. Emergency evacuation is compromised. Large quantities of precious water will be lost at a time when draughts are becoming more common and water levels are heartbreakingly low.
The only county priority that the proposal purports to address is workforce housing. But at just 150 units, it’s the bare minimum required for a project of this magnitude. Units that stretch the definition of “affordable” beyond recognition. Units that could come at the beginning of the project or the end, and look like anything, including housing stacks.
There is no debate over the need to more aggressively address the issue of affordable housing. Yet how it is achieved is equally important. The challenge is in finding paths forward that don’t come at the expense of the very qualities that make this part of Garfield County so special. And we can do that.
Finally, there is also general agreement that something responsible could be done on this acreage. What should happen, and what you should seriously consider encouraging, is a process that brings the community and the developer together to find common ground. It worked in our county previously, most notably in the context of what is now River Valley Ranch, which turned out pretty darn good.
Bottom line: Say no to this. Make it clear the sheer scale is unacceptable. Encourage the developer to sit down with the community and bring a proposal back that complies with both the county’s code and its plan for growth and a plan that will enhance, not degrade, the Roaring Fork Valley.
I conclude with a thank you for your continued stewardship of the county we love.