Council considers rezoning for Winford West corner; planning commission recommends approval with screening conditions

Gunnison City Council reviewed Ordinance 2025-09 on Nov. 19, a rezoning request for a corner parcel in Winford West to change from R-2 (lower-density residential) to L-4 (higher-density residential). The planning commission recommended approval with standard mitigation measures including landscaping buffers and tree requirements along property lines.

A planning commission representative told the council the request fits goals in the city’s general plan to add housing options beyond high-end single-family units. The commission recommended visual screening along rear and side property lines — typically one tree and four shrubs per 30 linear feet — and discussed the potential for increased traffic. Using national traffic-engineering guidance, staff said an 11-unit townhome development would generate traffic roughly equivalent to five or six single-family homes and that most nearby roads (a 24‑foot-wide section of 400 West) are designed to handle two-way traffic and likely would not need widening for this scale of development.

Council members discussed how to address an unimproved dirt frontage: staff said developers would typically be required to pay per-front-foot for asphalt frontage, and the council could require asphalt as a condition of approval with a reimbursement agreement for future adjacent development. The planning commission had proposed an owner-occupancy requirement to keep the units owner-occupied, but the city attorney, Eric Johnson, advised the council that an owner-occupancy covenant of that type is not something the city can impose.

Staff also explained private-road standards would limit on-street parking because the pavement must accommodate fire-apparatus access and a turnaround (hammerhead). The developer proposes two-car garages and 25‑foot driveways to provide off-street parking; council members asked for clarifications on hammerhead dimensions and road widths to ensure adequate emergency access.

The council discussed the proposal’s fit with neighborhood character and noted easement issues on nearby parcels. A council member indicated intent to move the ordinance forward and asked staff to prepare a development agreement; no final ordinance vote is recorded in the available segments of the transcript. The planning commission’s recommendation and the attorney’s legal advice on owner-occupancy will be incorporated into the next staff report and any development agreement returned to the council for action.