Basalt Town Council Tuesday approved a “future roadmap to development” for downtown. The decision came after more than two hours of discussion and public comment.
The board voted 5-to-2 to support the resolution. Mayor Jacque Whitsitt and councilman Gary Tennenbaum voted against it.
It calls for a mix of park space and development on a 2.3 acre parcel owned by the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation. It’s prime real estate, alongside Two Rivers Road and close to the Roaring Fork River. The resolution includes approval of a “proposed downtown planning map” that shows where development may happen. The map is a compromise between two factions in the community with different visions for development. It lays out more open space than a plan introduced by Lowe Enterprises. The development group initially wanted to build a 60-room hotel and more than 50 condominiums. Jim DeFrancia is president of Lowe. He says he’d be willing to rework his plan to fit council’s new vision.
Also last night, Michael McVoy of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation urged council to consider buying their stretch of land. He believes it’s the only way something will get developed there, given the Town’s stringent land use code. Many members of the public spoke in favor of the idea. A minority on council voiced concerns about the development corporation pulling out of their partnership with the town early. The two entities have been partners since before the town began to relocate residents of the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park.