Correction: The original story mistakenly states "Storied Development wants to see 577 second homes, two private golf courses, a private ski hill, commercial space, public trails and more - all across about 6,000 acres in Spring Valley. " The corrected version replaces "577 second homes" with "577 dwelling units, 85-95% of which will be second homes...". end
A Garfield County Planning Commission hearing of an amendment to the approved Spring Valley Ranch Planned Unit Development – that would allow a large development across 6,000 acres east of Glenwood Springs – is looming. The hearing was cancelled in September 2024 after the developer requested more time to review water concerns. Now, a new hearing has been set for April 9.
A recent meeting organized by the Spring Valley Coalition, a local citizens group opposing the proposed Spring Valley Ranch development, drew more than 100 people. “We’ve really tried to educate ourselves and our surrounding area on this substantial amendment that’s before our county and our area,” said Mary Beth Minion, a member of the Spring Valley Coalition. “You’ve probably seen our website and our signs,” she told the group. “We’ve collected a thousand signatures at events that we handed in to the county that was in opposition to this.”
Georgia-based Storied Development wants to see 577 second homes, two private golf courses, a private ski hill, commercial space, public trails and more - all across about 6,000 acres in Spring Valley.
In response to comments from Matrix Design Group, the county water engineering firm, Storied asked the county to cancel the September hearing so they could have more time to respond to the comments. Storied responded in December with few changes and insisted that Spring Valley Ranch has “demonstrated an adequate legal and physical water supply for the project”. But, the Spring Valley Coalition disagrees. “So there’s paper water, that’s what the lingo is, and then there’s wet water and that’s actually the water that exists in the aquifer,” said Minion. “And what our studies have said and what the county’s Matrix study said is that there’s not enough information and not an in-depth study to indicate that that’s actually been proven.”
Those who attended the Spring Valley Coalition meeting also raised concerns about wildlife, wildfire, traffic, the ski hill and the impact of a private luxury community on rural Spring Valley.
But, there was a new voice in the audience - the president of the student government at Colorado Mountain College’s Spring Valley campus. “My name is Julie. I'm genuinely, like, worried about the safety of our students, especially with all the traffic questions,” she told KDNK. “I was friends with the student that passed away in the car accident on [Highway] 82 at the intersection, which was just last year, right? Like yesterday actually.”
She’s also concerned about the high-end aspect of the project and how expensive it is. “I feel like it's just going to raise the prices of everything and make it a lot harder on everybody,” she said. “But I just… I don't know. Overall, it just seems like a bad idea and so, I mean, I'm willing to do what I can to help out .”
That means showing up at the April 9th Planning Commission hearing in Glenwood Springs. “Because it's from a completely different perspective than all the other people,” she explained. “I'm actually the student government president, so I'm a big voice here on campus and so, I mean, I'm willing to do what I can up here to spread the word to students, to get them involved, to get people at the meeting, and just make sure that people know what's happening.”
The Garfield County Planning Commission meets April 9 at 6:00 PM at 108 8th Street in Glenwood Springs.
