Pitkin County planning panel approves Penny Hot Springs parking, drainage and access plan with conditions

The Pitkin County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 on June 3 to approve a location-and-extent review for parking, drainage and access improvements at Penny Hot Springs, subject to conditions including a flood‑plain permit and documentation of Colorado Department of Transportation approvals.

Rebecca Dunlap, Pitkin County planning staff, presented the project and recommended approval. “Staff recommends the Planning and Zoning Commission find that location and extent review for Penny Hot Springs parking, drainage, and access improvements is in conformance with the objectives of the 2016 Crystal River Valley Master Plan subject to the draft resolution,” Dunlap said during the hearing.

The project, led by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, would realign and resurface the existing roadside parking platform within a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) right of way managed by Pitkin County under a lease agreement. The design would retain most existing spaces (19 of 21), pull the parking edge back roughly 2–3 feet from the top of slope, install a split‑rail fence and native vegetation at the edge, formalize two primary public access trails with low‑impact stone steps, and add a curb/vegetated swale system to concentrate and filter runoff before it reaches the Crystal River.

Carly O’Connell, landscape architect and planner with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, told commissioners that the project team and county engineers concluded a full slope‑stability analysis was not required for this scope of work. “A slope stability analysis was not needed for this project,” O’Connell said, adding that if permitting later shows additional stabilization work is necessary, that work would be addressed during permit review and could change project details.

Commissioners and staff noted the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) had recommended a site‑specific geologic hazard evaluation. The CGS recommendation and a requirement for a flood‑plain permit and a letter of no‑rise with supporting hydraulic modeling were included as conditions in the draft resolution; staff said the letter of no‑rise would be added to the resolution before finalization. The county also requires documentation of CDOT permissions for work in the state right of way.

Staff described background and outreach dating to a 2020 Penny Hot Springs management plan that prioritized safety, accessibility and user behavior. County staff said outreach included on‑site events, community meetings and an online survey (about 170 responses) and that a stakeholder steering committee of roughly 10 frequent users helped shape a hybrid parking/trail design. The Open Space and Trails board previously approved the plan framework.

Presenters said the improvements aim to reduce runoff from the parking surface (there are currently no drainage improvements), reduce erosion of the asphalt pullout that has encroached on the top of slope, and formalize safe access while preserving the informal, low‑development character the community requested. Staff noted construction timing would be subject to permitting, funding and any additional studies; the project’s earliest projected construction window is summer 2026, but staff cautioned that date is not final.

During the hearing commissioners and members of the public asked about winter maintenance and ADA access. County staff said the improved trails would remain largely natural‑surface with stone steps at grade changes and that Open Space and Trails does not routinely perform winter maintenance on natural surface trails; the project is not being designed as an ADA‑accessible paved descent because doing so would require substantial retaining walls and change the character of the site. Staff also described wildlife and rare‑plant protections: survey data have located hot‑spring sources and sensitive plants near the pools, and construction timing limits will be set to avoid fish‑spawning windows and to reduce disturbance to bighorn sheep when necessary.

At the close of the public hearing, commission member Doug moved to approve the draft resolution; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously, 5‑0. The minutes record the vote tally but do not list all commissioners by name. The approved motion was conditional; among the conditions recorded in the resolution and discussed at the hearing are: a flood‑plain permit and no‑rise documentation, documentation of CDOT approvals for work in the right of way, and inclusion of the Colorado Geological Survey referral recommendation (a site‑specific geologic hazard evaluation) as a condition to be satisfied before permitting.

County staff said the location‑and‑extent review grants the project authority to proceed toward permitting; if later engineering or permit reviews require larger stabilization measures that exceed the scope approved here, the county may re‑evaluate the project or the Open Space and Trails board could decide not to proceed.

Commissioners closed the public hearing after taking the vote. Staff will return final written conditions and the revised resolution incorporating the no‑rise documentation and other referral conditions as part of the permitting process.