Garfield County approves McClure River Ranch PUD amendment and preliminary plan for 12-lot subdivision

The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners approved a minor amendment to the McClure River Ranch Planned Unit Development and a preliminary plan for Zone District 2 during its Oct. 13 meeting, clearing the way for a 12-lot residential subdivision on the 98.19-acre property east of Carbondale.

The amendments allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right in Zone District 2, lower the PUD’s maximum density in that zone from the 40 units shown in prior approvals to a maximum of 24 dwelling units if every lot includes an ADU, and require the developer to record a separate affordable-housing plan at the time of final plat. Commissioners added a condition allowing flexibility for up to four deed-restricted units in Zone District 1 to satisfy affordable-housing obligations.

Why it matters: the site sits between Highway 82 and the Roaring Fork River and includes mapped floodplain and wetland areas and known occurrences of the Ute ladies’-tresses orchid, a species the applicant’s management plan addresses. County staff and the applicant said the revision reduces development pressure on sensitive areas by shrinking the buildable footprint and…