On Nov. 20, the Gunnison County Planning Commission held a public hearing on a land-use application from Treasure Mountain Ranch, Inc. (TMR), the company that owns significant acreage in and around the historic townsite of Crystal. The application seeks a Minor Impact Land Use Change to consolidate parcels and cluster new development in the Crystal townsite.
TMR’s application would consolidate 16 parcels into nine, complete three boundary line adjustments and cluster new development within a 1.9-acre building envelope. The proposal calls for “retiring” four existing structures, constructing a 4,900-square-foot maintenance barn and building four new cabins totaling approximately 5,000 square feet.
The proposal drew substantial written and oral public comment, as well as detailed questions from commissioners and staff. At times, public testimony reflected a divide between the application formally before the Planning Commission and what some residents believe may follow. It also underscored the deep attachment many people feel toward Crystal, a place described throughout the morning as historically and spiritually irreplaceable.
“I think change[s] to small, historic corners of our community are very emotional for a lot of people,” Gunnison County Planning Director Hillary Seminick told The Sopris Sun. “The townsite and the Crystal Mill hold a special place in the hearts of many people in Gunnison County and the residents of the Crystal River and Roaring Fork Valleys.”
Fraught history shapes reaction
The intensity of public comment on Nov. 20 reflects four years of stops, starts and speculation involving TMR and the community. The company owns roughly 700 acres, including about three miles of river frontage, as well as 15 structures totaling just over 12,000 square feet, nine of which it considers historic, including the Crystal Mill.
In late 2021, TMR partners Chris Cox and Stuart Gillespie outlined a large resort project to the Marble Board of Trustees, including cabins, a restaurant, employee housing and summer and winter recreation, along with plans for conservation easements and sustainable construction. They also met with Gunnison County officials, but by fall 2021, the county issued a stop-work order for unauthorized road improvements. In 2022, TMR paid a $12,000 fine and submitted multiple rounds of materials addressing the remediation requirements.
During this time, residents also raised questions about forest-thinning activities on Bear Mountain. The county confirmed in 2023 that TMR’s work complied with its approved Forest Management Plan. A plan update in 2025 outlined hand-crew thinning in dense, historically clear-cut stands to improve wildlife habitat and reduce fire danger.
The land use change application was initially submitted in spring 2024, but deemed incomplete due to missing information and unclear boundary line adjustments. TMR resubmitted in August 2024. The current Minor Impact Land Use Change application was deemed complete on April 21, Seminick said.
‘We’re talking 98% conservation’
Gillespie and Cox, accompanied by TMR attorney Marcus Lock of Law of the Rockies, told commissioners that the current Minor Impact Land Use Change grew out of an early-2024 effort to rehabilitate four cabins on Main Street. Realizing the structures required extensive work to meet code, the updated application added four new cabins and the maintenance barn.
TMR plans to permanently preserve six cabins on Main Street — including the Crystal Club, the general store and the Clayton, Melton, Rosette and Edgerton cabins — through historic designation, which would require approval by the county commission. Four other cabins would be retired from residential use.
At the hearing, Cox emphasized his deep personal connection to the area: Original property owner Emmett Gould was his great-grandfather, and he spent childhood summers in Crystal with his grandmother. Cox’s children and grandchildren have also grown up visiting Crystal.
TMR stated its overarching goal is to place most of its property under conservation easement and to partner with the U.S. Forest Service for stewardship. Gillespie said the company’s aim is to “conserve the vast majority of the TMR property … We’re not talking 75% or 80%, we’re talking 98%.”
Gillespie said construction would be phased, with new cabins built first and old cabins decommissioned afterward. Most heavy work would occur on-site, with subcontractors staying in TMR accommodations. If the application is approved, “Dirt work would begin this summer, with the project finishing up the following summer,” Gillespie said.
Why a public hearing?
The public hearing was required because TMR is proposing to concentrate density on one parcel such that it would contain six residences.
Specifically, the proposal includes building four new cabins and the maintenance barn. Of the existing six cabins already on the parcel, two would be kept and four “retired” by removing plumbing and electrical and using them as sheds.
Seminick told The Sopris Sun that while the net residential impact may be effectively zero, county land-use review looks at impacts parcel-by-parcel for future land-division and sale considerations.
“Typically, projects with four or more new residential units would be reviewed as Major Impact applications. In this case, the classification was reduced to Minor Impact due to the nature of the application and TMR’s ownership configuration,” she said. The application also addressed phasing and confirmed that the project is residential in nature.
Seminick emphasized that if TMR were to pursue a future ski area or larger resort proposal, that would be considered a Major Impact review — a more extensive, multi-step process.
Split, impassioned and numerous
The county received substantial written comment ahead of the hearing. Seminick noted 247 pages submitted before the close of the comment period, with additional letters submitted afterward.
Public testimony included longtime Crystal residents, descendants of early families and other valley residents. Speakers raised concerns about the project’s scale, potential impacts on water quality and wildlife, and how new development might affect the historic character of Crystal. Questions also focused on practical matters like trash removal, archaeological review, winter access and the size of the maintenance barn, as well as buffering, defensible space and vegetative screening.
Rob Anderson, whose family home is adjacent to the project parcel and whose great-grandfather George Tays founded the Lead King Mine, voiced concerns about avalanche risk, trash and smoke. He added, “Everyone wants to protect Crystal, and how they differ is how to get to that conclusion.”
Judy Witchey questioned the use of a nearby Daniels Hill property as a staging area and asked commissioners who would be keeping tabs on the development project.
“Too much is going to happen up there with a minor impact designation,” she said.
Manette Anderson expressed concern that the project could be a first step toward piecemeal change.
Supporters included Dr. R. Beaman, Jim Moisson and Roger Neal. Moisson opened his comment by acknowledging that his family “shares the desires of the Andersons,” but also noted that the majority of people who have a residence in Crystal support TMR’s proposal.
“Progress is going to happen, whether we like it or not. It’s really unique, rare and compelling that someone like Chris [Cox] who has the history and passion for preserving Crystal is managing the progress.”
Others praised TMR’s stewardship and said that preservation through the proposal would be preferable to other potential development.
Commissioners asked how the project would affect the historic nature and character of Crystal.
“Our hope is that by locating new development outside of town, you won’t see that structure, period,” Gillespie said. Cox added, “My goal from the beginning was to have this completely not visible from Main Street. It was important for me to be able to walk through the historic corridor and not know this existed. I believe with the right use of pine trees and foliage, we can block these from the road, and that’s our ultimate goal.”
Following the hearing, the commission directed staff to prepare a draft decision document outlining their findings. Written public comment will be accepted until Dec. 3 at noon ahead of the continued public hearing on Dec. 4 at 10:30am.