BOCC approves five‑month extension for Society Turn PUD and subdivision to allow final engineering and third‑party signoffs

San Miguel County commissioners on April 22 voted unanimously to extend preliminary approval for the Society Turn planned unit development and subdivision to Oct. 31, 2025, or 45 days after final Board action — whichever is earlier. The extension is intended to give the applicant time to finish outstanding engineering and secure third‑party signoffs needed for final plat recording.

County planning staff and the applicant said the project has been in process since 2018 and that the remaining work centers on final construction plans and approvals from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Town of Telluride. Kaye Simonson, county planning staff, told the board that the application needs the development agreement, subdivision improvement agreement and related legal documents to be complete before final plat recording.

Why it matters: The project includes access and intersection improvements requiring CDOT signoffs and a development agreement with Telluride for water and sewer service. The board’s extension aims to avoid expiring approvals and preserve the applicant’s vested rights while the outstanding technical items are completed.

Key context and next steps - Timeline and prior approvals: The planning record shows sketch‑plan approvals and later a preliminary PUD approval; the project timeline stretches back to the master‑plan amendment in 2018 and sketch and preliminary submittals in 2019–2023. Simonson said the deadline for a complete submittal was May 17, 2025, and the extension creates a cushion to complete reviews and return to the BOCC for final action. - CDOT and Telluride coordination: Applicant Tom Kennedy told the board that a CDOT access permit was issued in February 2023 but that implementation drawings and intersection plans required by CDOT were still under final review; the Town of Telluride had also been involved in water and sewer siting discussions earlier in the project’s history. - Financial assurances and construction: Kennedy said the project will post substantial security for infrastructure work and that the subdivision improvement agreement and bonds must align with final construction plans and CDOT signoffs before recording.

Commissioners raised concerns about timing for the regional medical center, which Kennedy and other speakers said expects to locate on part of the project. Several commissioners urged the project team to move rapidly; Kennedy repeated that the application is “near the finish line” and said he was asking the board to preserve the approvals while remaining design and signature steps are completed.

Formal action - Motion (as stated on the record): “I move to approve an extension for the Society Turn Parcel preliminary planned unit development and subdivision to either 10/31/2025 or 45 days from the final BOCC action on the final planned unit development and final subdivision plat, whichever is earliest pursuant to Land Use Code section 3-1103(b) and adopting Resolution number 2025-11.” - Outcome: Approved unanimously by the board (3‑0). The motion was seconded on the record. The BOCC noted the applicant would continue work with CDOT and the town and that final documents and any required signatures must be in place before final plat recording.

What remains uncertain - CDOT final comments and signoffs: Simonson and Kennedy said most current CDOT comments relate to construction details such as seed mixes and intersection engineering; Kennedy said the applicant is responding and expects to clear most comments. - Timing for infrastructure work and appeals: The extension accounts for the county’s internal review and the required public notice and appeal windows after final BOCC action.

Speakers (selected): Tom Kennedy, applicant/representative; Kaye Simonson, County planning staff; Commissioner Anne Brown; Commissioner Lance Waring; Commissioner Galena (first name used in meeting record).