Codes & Plans Conformance
There are various adopted codes and plans in the City of Gunnison that are applicable to Gunnison Rising. This section will outline and address these codes and plans as they affect the Gunnison Rising Master Plan site. In general, the development of the Gunnison Rising Master Plan supports the goals, policies, objectives and strategies outlined in each code or plan.
Gunnison Municipal Code
The Gunnison Rising Master Plan is in general conformance with the Gunnison Municipal Code. In accordance with Chapter 16.10 of the City of Gunnison Municipal Code, capital improvement fees for the Gunnison Watershed School District RE-1J are collected at the time of building permit. A $100 per dwelling unit or mobile home lot fee is imposed.
City Master Plan
The City of Gunnison Master Plan Volumes I and II were adopted May 11, 1994. There is currently an effort by City Staff and an appointed Steering Committee to update the City’s Master Plan. Although this effort to update the City’s Master Plan is recognized and acknowledged, due to the timing of the Gunnison Rising Master Plan submittal, conformance with the 1994 City Master Plan is addressed below in this study.
The City’s Master Plan provides a vision for what the City of Gunnison should be in the future. The City’s Master Plan considers past trends, future potentials, major problems which seek solutions, and directions or policies which can be developed as guides to new growth. The City’s Master Plan attempts to visualize the long-range growth of the community.
The Vision of the City of Gunnison, as provided in the Master Plan, includes the following essential components:
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All future land use and development will proceed in a planned and balanced manner in order that it be harmonious with the natural and built environment;
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Low to moderate growth rates which will enhance not detract from quality of life;
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Place a high value on ranching heritage;
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New jobs to be created as the economic base grows and becomes more diversified. Focus on tourism, knowledge workers, small light industry, retail and services;
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Housing opportunities to serve a variety of incomes, needs and housing types;
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Rise of tourism to a level which is supportive of and not distractive from quality of life;
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More efficiently used transportation system. Extensive network of sidewalks, trails and bike paths to provide alternative modes of travel;
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Importance of school and education;
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Stewards of land, water and energy resources which include resource-sensitive development and good construction practices; and
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Importance of Western State College.
Gunnison Rising enhances the Vision of the City of Gunnison as outlined above. The Gunnison Rising Master Plan proposes development in a manner that is balanced with the built and natural environment. The project provides a diverse housing base and accommodates future employment with a variety of commercial and industrial land uses. Gunnison Rising acknowledges the importance of Western State College and provides land uses that will support the needs of the institution, i.e. housing and employment opportunities.
As development within Gunnison Rising proceeds, good construction practices will be encouraged and practiced. Gunnison Rising will provide a comprehensive trail system throughout the development and surrounding areas. Specifically, retaining and enhancing the existing “Contour Trail” and connection to the City’s “Conceptual Loop Trail” will provide for a significant expansion of the non-motorized transportation system.
Volume II of the City’s Master Plan contains the Intent, Specific Direction and Action Statements which guide the future of the community. These will be applied to land use decisions and actions that affect land use.
Three Mile Plan and Urban Growth Boundary
The Three Mile Plan is an implementation action recommended by the 1994 City’s Master Plan which provides a way of extending and clarifying the recommendations of the 1994 City’s Master Plan to the Gunnison Area. An urban growth boundary for the City of Gunnison has been established by the Three Mile Plan, which identifies where lands will be urbanized, including areas where urban services can logically be provided and where urban densities and uses are appropriate. The Gunnison Area Three Mile Plan and Urban Growth Boundary is the officially adopted public document that establishes a vision for future development of the Gunnison area, as envisioned by the City of Gunnison.
Gunnison Rising is located within the Three Mile Plan and Urban Growth Boundary. Gunnison Rising South has been identified on the Three Mile and Urban Boundary Map as the “Bratton Annexation”. Gunnison Rising North has been identified as “rural residential”. The Gunnison Rising Master Plan supports and enhances the goals and objectives of the Three Mile Plan.
City of Gunnison Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan
The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan (PROSMP), adopted in December 1996, is a “general, long-range planning tool used to guide growth, achieve quality open space to meet the growth needs, and maintain over a long period the recreation and open space needs of the community”. The PROSMP provides an inventory and assessment of existing parks, special recreational attractions and trails available to the City of Gunnison. The Gunnison Rising project is not addressed in the PROSMP, however, Gunnison Rising meets and exceeds the goals and objectives of the PROSMP, as well as supports the existing and future recreational opportunities identified in the PROSMP.
The PROSMP notes that the distribution of park lands, particularly neighborhood and mini-parks, shall be within one-half mile walking distance radius from one another. The Gunnison Rising Master Plan has identified Open Space parcels. As development progresses, additional neighborhood parks will be provided, particularly in the denser residential development areas. These neighborhood parks will provide connection to future trail systems that will connect Gunnison Rising to the City of Gunnison, as well as provide connection to the proposed City’s “Conceptual Loop Trail”.
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport Master Plan
An update to the Airport Master Plan was adopted in July, 2006. According to the Airport Master Plan, Gunnison Rising does not pose any constraints to Airport operations. Appropriate sound mitigation may be necessary as residential and non-residential structures are constructed near the Airport and shall be determined at a later date.