This Tuesday, February 9th, another development in Carbondale is likely to be rubber stamped. This is despite the fact that many in the community are very concerned by the very new City Market development and others - is the City Market really the flagship store that we expected? We’ve all heard the community complaints about the aisles upon aisles of bottled and canned sugary drinks and processed foods, as well as the nearly unfathomable amount of largely single-use packaging that flows out of the store. We’re hearing the concerns of traffic quantity and flow on 133 and other Carbondale streets.
New development is happening before many even realize the Builders First Source lumber yard is about to come out of the ground, and before anyone knows how it will be taken by the community, how it will affect the feel of Carbondale’s small town character much less traffic and compliance with Carbondale’s Climate Action Plan.
Many, including our Mayor and Trustees, have expressed concerns about the fact that developers can get away with far too much and that things need to change. The Carbondale Environmental Board has voiced concerns about environmental related issues, and many members of the Environmental Board have requested a targeted moratorium or anything to somehow pump the brakes while the community figures out how we want to proceed with development during and after COVID.
The development in front of the Board of Trustees on Tuesday is called Carbondale Center Place. CCP will be redeveloping the Sopris Shopping Center. The businesses currently there have already been evicted effective March 1. This is happening even though final approval for the development has not been given. This has forced many businesses to close permanently and all of them to try to deal with this eviction in the middle of a pandemic and economic downturn. Many of these businesses are owned by women and minorities. It is a perfect example of wealthy individuals putting profits above the community and the people. This probably means they will continue to do so with this redevelopment.
The proposed development puts a new three-story building feet from highway 133, as well as a
68,000 square foot, three-story self storage facility behind it. The building replacing the Sopris Shopping Center will have 76 residential units, but only 15 of these will be “affordable” units. Predictably, there appears no signs that they plan on doing anything but the bare required minimum in terms of number of “affordable” units offered, and they will likely charge as much as possible by the regulations of affordable housing.
The developers say they have done extensive outreach but it appears as though they have gone out of their way to not speak to anyone who may be skeptical or a hard sell. I tried a number of times to schedule a time to talk to the developers. They stopped replying to my emails. The Carbondale Environmental Board has asked several times to set up a meeting to discuss their plans. They appeared to show some interest at one point and then bailed. It seems they are much more interested in presenting the appearance of having done the work in the community to sell it than they are actually in doing the work.
Our Carbondale Trustees have expressed interest and comments in trying to learn about and better address issues such as racial and economic equity, as well as furthering environmental goals, such as the Carbondale Climate Action Plan, which details visions of all buildings having net-zero emissions and all energy powered by renewable resources. Developments such as this give the appearance of going against this ideal, letting wealthy white men invest in profiting off our community while only meeting minimum requirements for things like affordable housing, equitability, or community, efficiency, or environmental issues in creating that equity.
In the process of seeing Builders First Source, 1201 Main St, Main St Marketplace, and others being rubber stamped in rapid concession, and several during COVID while many in our community are distracted just trying to survive, many have been asking why the Town of Carbondale does not put on the brakes and look at how things are done before moving forward. Many believe we need to update our Climate Action Plan and find more ways to give it teeth and have it actually influence our town’s path forward. Many also believe we need to update and make much more aggressive things like our development and building codes to better address climate, environmental, and social issues. And much of this work is ongoing, but will it be completed in time before the harm is already done?
Some are also starting to ask if we really want to keep allowing wealthy investors to keep buying and developing land with the intention of profiting off of our community. There are many alternatives that have been implemented elsewhere such as nonprofit and municipal development and other ways of making development by the community and for the community.
Some people are opposed to growth. I believe that the town is going to grow, and if growth is resisted, prices will continue to go up and just like Aspen, all the lower and middle class will continue to be pushed out as richer and richer people buy up the limited property. Growth should be well planned and thought out in a way that best works for the community. I think that we can do this smarter, in a way that better benefits those who live and work our town and valley.
The only way we will move towards something better is if enough people stand up and make their voices heard.
If you have concerns with this new development, Tuesday will likely be the last opportunity before its approval. If it is approved, the last line of action would be getting enough petition signatures to overturn the approval. This would take a lot of work and could still not succeed.
If you have a comment concerning one or more of the Agenda items, please email cderby@carbondaleco.net by 5:00 pm on February 9, 2021 to request a ZOOM invite to speak at the trustees meeting.
https://www.carbondalegov.org/PACKET%202-9-2021.pdf
For-profit development by wealthy investors is done to maximize profits. It is not thought out by the community or done with thought as to what will be best for the community. For-profit development will always put profits above everything and will push investors and developers to do the bare minimum when it comes to things like affordability, environmental concerns, efficiency, and community benefit.
Information should be easier to find and pushed out by the Town of Carbondale to social media and other places to get people the opportunity to see exactly what is going on.
We need to move into the 21st century. 3D models should be available for people to go in and look through.
It seems common for developers to render more appealing shots and angles. Naturally this will sell their product better, however it can misrepresent how the actual development will impact the community. The City Market gas station is a perfect example of something that didn’t look very noticeable in the developers’ presentation, but ii is a huge eyesore that has many complaints.
With modern technology it is possible to show the actual location to be developed and to add the proposed development in 3D. The currently used methodology is lazy, and it only benefits the developer by being able to manipulate the perception of the development through choosing rendering angles.
Here is a 3D scan I made of the Carbondale Skate Park, mostly just for fun. It would be easy enough to overlay development plans onto such a scan. There are online resources where this 3D model could be uploaded allowing people to take the controls and walk or fly through it and see it from any angle they want.
https://www.facebook.com/217004618735935/videos/2351875551803885
Word has it that the Overlook Property behind Town Hall and adjacent to the “Dog Park” will be next for mega development!? Wake up Carbondale and get involved.
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