STAND UP, SPEAK OUT TO REVISE THE WEST END PLAN

PROJECT DETAILS:

The West End is about the same sq footage Home Depot, the Avon Wal-Mart and the new Marriott hotel COMBINED!  All in ONE building!  

275 Rental Apartments: 

• 14 Units will be rent-capped for Eagle County residents earning 80-100% of the Area Median Income (AMI, approximately $78,000-$98,000 per year)
• 261 Units will be offered at market rental rates. For example, a one-bedroom apartment at Piedmont costs $3,180 per month for 602 square feet. If the rental rates at the West End are comparable to Piedmont, it would target a workforce needing a minimum hourly wage of $60, equivalent to an annual income of $127,000
  • 177  Units will be Deed Restricted to Eagle County resident occupied
  • 84 Units can be rented as Second Homes

UNIT MIX:

• 28 Studios 
• 141 One Bedrooms 
• 106 Two Bedrooms 

SIZE: 

• One single building plan equals 430,000 Square Feet 
• Nearly 2.3 times larger than the Avon Walmart building
• 70,000 square feet larger than all the buildings in Riverwalk combined
• 4.9-acre site with about 10 acres of floor space 
• Building Height: 65-foot tall building

The West End is requesting over 30 variances from the Eagle County Land Use Regulations (ECLUR). Some of these variance requests include:

• Inadequate Exterior Common Area Acreage
• Minimum Square Footage Per Occupant: 200 SQ FT instead of 300 SQ FT.
• Building Height: 65-foot tall building instead of the zoned 35 feet
• Parking: 425 spaces instead of 602 as required in the ECLUR

Additionally, the New Loop Road requires multiple variances: 

• Average Daily Car Trips (ADCT): 3,490+ instead of less than 750 ADCT
• Lane Width: Reduced to 11 FT instead of the standard 15 FT
• Bike Lane: No bicycle lane provided; ECLUR require a 4 FT bicycle lane

The West End is requesting too many variances without providing adequate public benefit.

QUITE SIMPLY, NO IT DOES NOT.

• It does not promote a small-town feel.
• The design is not pedestrian-appealing in terms scale.
• It does not preserve the rural small town character of the community.

IN ADDITION:

The Community and the EACP support affordable workforce housing on this site. This current plan does not align with the EACP due to lack of affordability, sheer size and the inclusion of second homes. 

Opposing the West End’s current proposal does not make you a 'NIMBY'. The Edwards Community simply seeks a development that includes genuinely affordable housing and aligns with the site's characteristics and the requirements of the Edwards Area Community Plan (EACP), respecting the community's identity and scale.

The EACP was created in 2016. Over 800 residents contributed over 1600 suggestions. A group came together to steer the effort and worked for over a year with Eagle County officials to create a vision for our community's future. 

The plan was vetted and adopted by the Planning Commission and the County Commissioners on February 17, 2017. 

The EACP repeatedly calls for new buildings to adhere to a Small-Town Scale, requiring that they be similar in scale to surrounding buildings. 

The EACP does not suggest that 84 units for second homeowners should be incorporated into a parcel that accommodates workforce housing or supports a building more than twice the size of the Avon Walmart. 

The EACP clearly states on page 114, Section 223 that “COLOSSAL BUILDINGS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED.” If a building that is more than twice the size of Walmart is not considered “COLOSSAL” in Edwards, what would be?

The West End is requesting over 30 Design, Setback, and Zoning Variances. The developer and the county staff have disregarded at least 20 points in the EACP that conflict with this proposal.

QUITE SIMPLY, NO IT DOES NOT.

The Edwards Metro District Service Plan states that all streets and roads will be constructed by the applicable County or State Highway standards.

The developer is asking for a variance for a narrower access road (known as the Loop Road) than is allowed per County standards.

QUITE SIMPLY, NO IT DOES NOT.

The developer is asking for 32 variances from existing land use and zoning ordinances and codes.

QUITE SIMPLY, NO IT DOES NOT.

The developer has asked to eliminate bike lanes from the loop road that will access the main entrance.  The loop road will be a cutoff between the Gas House and the Edwards Plaza from the Spur Road to HWY 6.  

In addition, residents who ride the bus east bound will have to cross HWY 6 (often in the dark) to reach the east bound bus stop.

Bringing housing availability to the market is one thing;  making it AFFORDABLE is another! 

It may help a few, but unless employers are willing and able to pay wages that allow employees to pay "market rate" it will be limited to the 14 affordable income limit units.

How can the West End honestly say that teachers, first responders, retail and hospitality employees can afford market rate rents?     

• Reduce the size of the project by at least 50%.
• Ensure there is adequate parking.
• Ensure that pedestrian and bike safety is addressed
• Carefully consider improvements needed to ensure traffic flow.
• Design the project with 2-3 smaller buildings, 3-4 stories high.
• Make the project compatible in scale with surrounding buildings.
• Provide a reasonably sized dog park for residents.
• Eliminate direct access point the Eagle River Preserve.
• Include a playground for the residents' children.
• Ensure at least 70% of the units affordable to families making 80-100% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
• Minimize requests for planning and zoning code variances
• Eliminate occupancy for second homes.
• Bringing housing availability to the market is one thing;  making it AFFORDABLE is another! 

WHAT CAN I DO TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT TO REVISE THE WEST END PLAN?

• Email the County Commissioners before the next hearing on August 1 to express your concerns.  You can send your emails to planningcomments@eaglecounty.us     It would be beneficial to expand on the provided talking points in your emails, and feel free to include your own thoughts and passions about this proposed development.

• Attend the Board of County Commissioners Hearing August 1, 2024.  For more information on the time and zoom link please email looproad81632@gmail.com

• Sign the petition urging the West End developer and Eagle County to collaborate on creating a suitable workforce housing project for this property.