Mid-Valley Tree Farm Project: An Opportunity to Create a New and Mutually-Beneficial Layer of Community Building

There are rules in place for how buildings can be built and projects can be developed. Lots of them. But what happens when a development proposal is moving forward with far-reaching, variable impacts and those affected have no official voice in decisions to be made? The Town of Basalt finds itself in just this position related to the Tree Farm mixed-use development proposal by long-time Valley resident Ace Lane through his company Woody Ventures LLC.

The project is situated in unincorporated Eagle County adjacent to but separate from the oddly bone-shaped Town limits which flare out at one end on both sides of Highway 82 - Historic Downtown in one direction and the Basalt Business Center to the other - and stretch downvalley to the burgeoning Willits Town Center and community.

With more than 500,000 square feet of proposed commercial and residential development, the Tree Farm Project could affect Basalt and the mid-valley in a multitude of ways: cost of services to the Town and Special Districts; traffic, transit and underpass construction; and potential commercial over-saturation. Dangling questions include the development and connectivity of parks and trails, signage and lighting, increased need for daycare and how affordable housing requirements will be fulfilled. These are all considerations that may or may not be part of the discussion, at least as we living and working in Basalt would like to see, when Eagle County reviews the developer's application. Technically the Town of Basalt doesn't have a place at the table.

Recently, officials from the Town of Basalt, Eagle County and Pitkin County met to discuss common and overlapping concerns. It was the first gathering of its kind in recent history. The importance of this type of collaborative thought and planning for the mid-valley was emphasized again at Tuesday's Town Council meeting and the Basalt Chamber agrees.

The fact that the Basalt area is divided into three main governing municipalities should not limit our ability to come together and address key community issues of mutual concern. As Town Councilman Rick Stevens said: This is a big paradigm shift to look at land-use applications outside the normal bounds of planning. "It's a more holistic approach to the world."

The Chamber of Commerce fully respects the right of landowners to determine how their property might be developed and Mr. Lane has certainly waited long enough to renew his proposal, projected to have a decades-long build out. What we look for over the next few months of critical review are opportunities for the Town, the Chamber, the dual counties, property owners and developers to work together on a supra-regulatory level to carve out innovative solutions for the betterment of all.

Disclosure: Two members of the Basalt Chamber's Board of Directors serve on the Roaring Fork Valley Regional Planning Commission so have appropriately absented themselves from these discussions.

Pan & Fork Lemonade Day is back again this Saturday, June 27 from 11 to 3 pm in Downtown Basalt. Come out for the parade, view the chalk art and visit the enterprising young Lemonade-making entrepreneurs at their home-made stands. There will be music by Big Dog & the Midnight Badgers and paella, a fish fry and other offerings from local restaurants.

On Wednesday, July 8 at 6pm, the Basalt Summer ArtsBeat takes the stage in Lions Park and continues weekly through August 12. Featuring a lively mix of genres - classic rock, Celtic bluegrass, motown and jazz - the concert series promises to surprise and entertain. Click here for the summer Artsbeat poster and concert schedule.