Basalt planning commission recommends Town Council consider 16‑unit affordable housing sketch plan

Basalt’s Planning & Zoning Commission recommended that Town Council consider a sketch plan for a 16‑unit, two‑bedroom affordable housing building after a public hearing in which neighbors raised concerns about parking, sunlight and privacy.

Staff told the commission the proposal calls for 16 two‑bedroom units of about 950 square feet each with 50‑square‑foot private decks and exterior storage, partially under‑building parking and a total of 40 off‑street spaces "which allows for 2 parking spaces per each unit, as well as additional guest parking" to meet the town’s code requirements. Staff also said the project is inside the town’s urban growth boundary, is shown on the future land use map with an affordable housing overlay, and that the Basalt Affordable Community Housing Committee (BACH) reviewed the proposal and recommended approval.

The design team described site decisions intended to reduce neighbor impacts: pushing the building as far north as feasible to increase separation from the adjacent Lakeside townhomes, adding vegetative buffers, locating community open space on the south side, and providing fire access and elevator service. The team said the building is designed to be all‑electric, fully sprinklered to NFPA 13 standards, and adaptable to modular construction if chosen.

Residents at the hearing urged changes. ‘‘You’re gonna have 48 people living on 16 units,’’ said Vivian Ribeiro of Lakeside Court as she questioned whether the neighborhood has the parking capacity and whether the increased density would affect sunlight, privacy and noise. Ribeiro also raised concerns about event‑day parking at the adjacent Rugby Park and how shifting guest stalls could impact neighbors.

Staff and the design team responded that the plan proposes 40 parking spaces (two per unit plus guest spaces), that some guest spaces would be reallocated from the Rugby Park lot through a minor subdivision, and that under‑building parking stalls are full‑size (9 feet wide) while some surface guest spaces will be designated compact (8 feet wide but 19 feet long, per fire‑department guidance).

Commissioners debated tradeoffs between unit mix, livability and infrastructure. Several commissioners said the town needs two‑bedroom deed‑restricted units to fill gaps identified in the housing needs assessment; others worried about pedestrian access to the bus stop across East Valley Road and urged additional accessibility features. One commissioner asked that at least one additional Type A (fully accessible) unit be included beyond code minimums. A separate question about air conditioning was answered affirmatively in the meeting: a commissioner asked, "I assume there's going to be air conditioning?" and received a reply of "Yep." from staff.

After discussion the commission acted. Commissioner S5 moved to "recommend this as shown to council with addition of our comments," Commissioner S4 seconded, and the motion carried on a voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll‑call tally.

Next steps: staff said more detailed requirements — exterior materials, landscaping to meet the town arborist’s recommendations, wildfire mitigation and stormwater/SBR details — will be addressed at preliminary plan. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to Town Council for consideration. The meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m.