Mayor's Minute Rosewood Edition

Hello neighbors,

At the February 15 Town Council Meeting, Council voted unanimously to approve a Standstill Agreement with Northlight, the owners of Lots 126R and 152R (historically referred to as “Rosewood”). Since then, many of you have reached out with questions about these lots, the scope of the project, and the Standstill Agreement - below are responses to a few of the most common questions.

What is the original zoning and density of the Rosewood lots? Can we revert to the original zoning of these lots?

In 1984 and 1987, the properties that came to be known as “Rosewood” were originally platted as a mix of hotel, condo, commercial, and employee units with a total density of 310 units. The platting was executed by Ron Allred/Telluride Company, with approval by the Board of County Commissioners and the County Planning Commission. By 2007, through the course of land purchases and rezoning with the planned unit development (PUD) approval, this parcel of lots consisted of more condo units, fewer hotel units, and 38,666 square foot of designated commercial property with a combined density of 345 units. The development history of these properties through the years is extensive and available online.

I share this snapshot to illustrate that going back to the original platting, is not straightforward and would call for 310 density units. Since the original platting of these lots, the zoning of these properties has always included a hotel, condo, and commercial units. The zoning history and density units are not solely a function of the 2007 PUD but also are tied to the Original Zoning that has run with these properties since they were first platted in 1984 and 1987.

What is the Standstill Agreement? Isn’t the Standstill Agreement just an extension of the 2007 PUD?

The Standstill Agreement is not an extension of the 2007 PUD, and it instead requires a new PUD application, if the owners desire to proceed. The town chose to move forward with the Standstill Agreement because it barred any development on the lots during the term of the Standstill Agreement; requires a new PUD application, which will be reviewed by the community, DRB, and Town Council; and must be approved only through the open, public process by Town Council. The 2007 Rosewood PUD expired on March 31, 2018. However, the owners of the properties would have still been able to move forward by filing an application to build by right had there not been a Standstill Agreement. The Standstill Agreement will remain in effect through all phases of a new PUD application process.

It is important to note that the Standstill Agreement does not imply that any application will be approved or that the application will be reviewed in an expedited manner. The applicants must follow the town’s process as detailed in section 17.4.12 of the Community Development Code.

Per the terms of the Standstill Agreement, any new PUD application must have significant reductions to the overall mass and scale of the expired 2007 project plans and make substantial reductions to the land use and densities occurring on the property. Furthermore, before submitting any new application, the applicants are required to hold two public open house meetings to obtain community feedback. The first public open house meeting was held March 28 and the next scheduled public open house meeting will be held May 10 at the Mountain Village Town Hall. Additionally, Northlight has agreed to hold a conceptual Work session, which will be open to the public, and a third public meeting this summer. These meetings will be live-streamed and available for viewing afterward.

Will the Town Council be reviewing the 2007 PUD or a new PUD? What happens next?

Per the terms of the Standstill Agreement, a new PUD application must be submitted by June 15, 2018. The applicants will need to go through the entire PUD process and the application will be reviewed without regard to the original PUD. Below is a tentative outline of the next steps in the PUD process:

• May 10 Public Meeting #2 hosted by Northlight
• June 15 New PUD Application Deadline per Standstill Agreement
• June/July Conceptual Work session with DRB & Town Council for Outline PUD Application
• July Public Meeting #3 hosted by Northlight
• August Outline PUD to be presented to DRB/Town Council
• October Final Outline PUD Application & Review by Town Council

Once the town receives a new PUD application, we will send out a formal outline of the timeline and steps required per the town’s PUD process.

This project has been a hot topic for decades, and I expect that many of us on Town Council and throughout the community will not always agree on the best ways to proceed. Regardless, it is imperative that we all remember we are neighbors, above all else, and as such we should discuss and evaluate these topics with respect and candor. We have a shared responsibility to our village so please take part in the public process and email or call me with any specific questions or concerns you may have.

On a related note, beginning June 5, I will be hosting monthly walks on the first Tuesday of every month. I hope this will be an opportunity for us to have open conversations while we discuss current events and projects. Stay tuned for more info.

Warm regards,

Laila Benitez
Mountain Village Mayor