Planning commission backs 555 Basalt Avenue PUD conditions, sends master-plan change to council 4–1

The Basalt Planning & Zoning Commission on Feb. 17 voted to recommend approval of conditions for a proposed mixed-use redevelopment at 555 Basalt Avenue and forwarded a master‑plan amendment to Town Council, recording a 4–1 recommendation on the land‑use change.

The project would redevelop the 4.8‑acre Myers & Company property in the South Side Business Center with 54 commercial storage spaces on the southern portion and 45 multifamily units in three buildings on the northern portion. Staff told the commission the residential count has been reduced from 48 to 45 and deed‑restricted units from 12 to 11; staff also said the applicant changed the affordable product from rental to for‑sale and revised the unit mix to include one studio, nine one‑bedrooms and one two‑bedroom deed‑restricted unit.

Why it matters: commissioners and neighbors focused on two tradeoffs — adding housing near transit versus losing industrially zoned land and introducing more storage capacity close to downtown. The commission approved the project recommendation while attaching requests that Town Council consider a higher proportion of deed‑restricted housing and that staff require further traffic analysis before final approval.

Key details and conditions

- Units and affordability: Staff reported the revised program yields 45 residential units and 11 deed‑restricted units, representing roughly 24% of units and about 25% of residential square footage deed‑restricted, compared with the town’s current standard of 20% of units and 25% of square footage. James (staff) summarized the change and the proposed master‑plan amendment updating the future land‑use map and typology.

- Floodplain and site design: The applicant revised the plan to mitigate 100‑ and 500‑year floodplain risk, including lifting residential buildings and altering building layouts and elevations to allow flood passage.

- Traffic and access: The applicant provided a second traffic count that staff said showed higher volumes than the initial sample. Staff said CDOT has conceptually approved increasing vehicle trips on a narrow sliver access that had previously been limited to five trips per day. The draft conditions require the applicant to contribute to a mini‑roundabout and lane improvements at the Cody Lane–Basalt Avenue intersection and to fund a third‑party traffic engineer to evaluate Few Lane (the local fuel lane), options for one‑way versus two‑way operation, and multimodal pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

Public concerns and applicant response

Residents who spoke during public comment urged care on Few Lane safety and privacy. Andy Rothschild, who lives in the South Side neighborhood, said the existing 8‑foot privacy fence provides important separation from the Myers operation and asked what would replace that buffer if the fence is removed. Stacy Stokes described near‑misses and called Few Lane ‘‘basically an alley’’ that lacks signage and safe space for children and strollers; she urged a hard, multiuse path and greater emergency access.

The applicant said the storage units are intended for sale, not short‑term rental, and proposed HOA restrictions to discourage using units as primary business locations. The applicant also said industry data indicate a majority of storage usage is personal rather than commercial and that the revisions respond to prior comments on design and unit mix.

Commission action and next steps

PNZ voted to recommend approval of the PUD/special‑review conditions to Town Council (voice vote recorded as passing). The commission then moved separately on the master‑plan amendment (the resolution in the meeting packet) to change the future land‑use map and typology for the residential parcel; that resolution was recommended to Town Council with additions requesting consideration of a greater percentage of deed‑restricted housing and noting concerns about losing mixed‑use on the site. The master‑plan amendment recommendation passed 4–1.

The project and associated master‑plan amendment will now move to Town Council for public hearings and final decisions. The commission also asked staff to commission an independent traffic study to inform council review.

Quote

"We've reduced the number of residential units from 48 to 45 and the deed‑restricted units from 12 to 11," James (staff) said, summarizing the applicants' revisions. "CDOT has conceptually approved increasing the number of trips on the sliver access to accommodate the residential development."

What to watch next

Town Council will take up the master‑plan amendment and the development review; council hearing dates will be set as part of the review process. The commission noted it wanted the council to consider whether the site should aim for more deed‑restricted housing and whether the northern parcel should retain mixed‑use intent.