Project

Project Vision
Whetstone is envisioned as a significant development of attainable housing for a diverse mix of local individuals and families to live and work in the Gunnison Valley. 

To create a neighborhood at Whetstone, the county imagines amenities such as a park or community garden where neighbors can cultivate a sense of community. 

​Gunnison County will also be looking for ways to be innovative with the Whetstone Community Housing development and looks forward to hearing the community’s ideas for potential uses, creative solutions, and community priorities.

Preliminary Plan
In July 2024, the project team submitted the Whetstone preliminary plan package, which is the final stage of the land use review process. Key changes between the project's sketch plan and the preliminary plan include a unit count increase from 231 units in 30 buildings to 252 units in 23 structures. The reduction in the number of buildings helps preserve more site area for amenities, snow storage, and stormwater detention. The parking ratio has decreased slightly from 1.8 to 1.67 spaces per unit. Additionally, the plan now includes a central park design featuring a programmable multi-use field. These modifications aim to create more efficient building types and better utilize the available space.

Preliminary Plan Documents

Click on the images to view and download the documents.
Picture
Preliminary Plan Narrative, June 28, 2024
Picture
Planning Commission Meeting Slide Deck, August 29, 2024
The full application package can be accessed through the project webpage on the official Gunnison County website; please follow the directions provided under "Application Materials and Information", and note that the Land Use Submission includes engineered plans for the project, budgets, and compliance information for how the project will meet County standards.
On September 14th and 15th, 2023, a community design workshop was held at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. Building upon the Sketch Plan approval, the workshop set out to refine the project vision and guiding principles into actionable parameters for development of the Preliminary Plan. Livability was a key discussion, with activities focused on both defining indoor and outdoor livability and considering quantifiable standards that will physically enable livable spaces at Whetstone. A second workshop goal was to discuss trade-offs between project values to understand expectations related to streets, trail connections, architectural design, and green building practices.

Site Plan Updates
Participants represented a diverse set of values that were insightful and influential in drafting the neighborhood plan updates. Some of the values that have translated into the plan changes include enhancements to accessibility, both indoors and outdoors; programmable multi-use spaces; private patios and gardens; parking and snow storage management practices; and unit floor plans favoring functional storage space. Plan updates are outlined in detail below. 

Thanks to the input from the workshop, the team has developed changes to the Neighborhood Plan that refine the concept from Sketch Plan. What has changed:
  • Slight increase in unit count from 231 to 255
  • Addition of sufficient space for a multipurpose turf area within the community park, programmable for youth sports
  • Refinement of snow storage locations for better maintenance and management
  • Refinement of street widths, parking, and sidewalk locations
  • Reduction in the number of buildings in the center of the site
  • Increase in parking spaces to account for increase in unit count
  • Building elimination at the southern end of the site to increase maintenance and management areas for the community
  • Addition of community space and leasing office adjacent to park area

What has remained the same:
  • Central park at the heart of the community
  • Commitment to connecting to regional transportation networks
  • Planning for access via round-about and pedestrian underpass
  • Overall site circulation pattern
  • Perimeter trail
  • Triplexes and live-work buildings along the west and east sides of the site
  • Landscaped berms along the Highway 135 frontage

The following graphic illustrates these changes and the focus on livability in Whetstone, which centers on affordability, stability, and sense of community. 

Final Sketch Plan
Throughout the process, the design team has been referring back to our project guiding principles: 
  • Support the local economy, with reliable housing for the workforce;
  • Provide housing security for essential members of the community who have been facing housing challenges such as overcrowding, low quality/high utility cost, rising rents, or being frequently forced to move (due to home sales and conversions to short term rental); 
  • Support environmental goals by reducing commuting and improving energy efficiency through green building and modern construction techniques.

​After multiple iterations informed by community engagement, stakeholder input, and research, the following sketch plan was approved:
The neighborhood is composed of 8 zones that come together to create a cohesive ensemble. The neighborhood will likely be built in phases, and each area is anticipated to have its own character. 
​
  • Urban North - About 85-100 apartments, in a highly transit accessible, vibrant location. Up to three stories. Provides a strong connection to the highway, sheltering the rest of the site, and framing the street and transit connections. Park and pedestrian connections. Excellent views of Mount Crested Butte, Paradise Divide, and Whetstone Mountain. Opportunity for community serving uses such as non-profit office space, childcare, neighborhood serving business, business center or co-work space. Parking for 120-140 vehicles.
  • Far Northwest - About 9 townhouse units, 1and 3 BR with an architectural character that responds to the agrarian history of the Slate river valley and surrounding ranches. Trail connection and residential parking. Anticipated to be for rent - may be employer owned units.
  • Gers Parcel - Separately described and represented in gray. The Gers family intends to rebuild on the site. Land use approvals for this site will occur outside of this process. 
  • West Side - About 24 units, 1 and 3 BR with pitched roofs, front porches, buildings address garden courts and the street. Parking courts between the buildings include enclosed garages.. Low fences.
  • Central - About 66 units, two story flats, alley loaded parking, front porches and second floor balconies buildings address the street and the park. “Alley Flats” above enclosed garages. Anticipated to be for rent.
  • Far South - About 8 units, two story flats, front porches and second floor balconies buildings address the street and the park. Anticipated to be for rent.
  • East Side - About 12 units - Two story units with living above enclosed garages. Simple industrial contemporary forms, bridging to the Riverland industrial park. Opportunity for live/work, home office, flex space, owner occupancy or employer owned units; likely to go up to 200% AMI. Design could also be modified to have more smaller units. 
  • Riverland Corner - About 9 units, 2 BR two story townhouses, transitioning to Riverland neighborhood. Likely for rent.
​
The full submittal package is available under Project Documents below and on Gunnison County’s Permit Database webpage (under Project # LUC-22-00049). 
The 13-acre Whetstone parcel is located in the northern Gunnison Valley (Colorado) along Highway 135, to the south of the Town of Crested Butte. It is in proximity to Riverland Industrial Park and Bush Creek, and will build on the connectivity between Skyland, Riverbend, and Crested Butte.

Location

Project Documents

Click on the images to view and download the documents. 

Project Demand Study
​August 2024

This document, prepared by Western Spaces, LLC, assesses the housing demand in Gunnison Valley, specifically for workforce housing. It provides an in-depth analysis of the local housing market, particularly focusing on rental units targeting households with incomes between 80% and 170% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The study aims to guide the Whetstone Development project by evaluating current housing shortages, economic conditions, and demographics to ensure the proposed development meets the needs of the local workforce and enhances community well-being​.

Briefing Book
May 2024

In May 2024, the Whetstone project team released a “Briefing Book”, or project update document addressed to the Town of Crested Butte and the community, with the goal of providing all with clear, transparent, and comprehensive information about the project and its progress. Please click here to view and download the document. 

This document is also a testament to the profound collaboration culture that the project team, County and Town staff, elected officials, and the community have participated in throughout the process. In fact, since the project launched in 2021, there have been a number of outreach and engagement activities – from site walks, design charrettes, and workshops, to newsletters, public presentations and hearings, and online surveys – to provide feedback and help shape the future of Whetstone. 

Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners & Planning Commission
​Joint Public Hearings Recordings

February 2, 2023
January 19, 2023

Gunnison County Planning Commission
​Work Session Presentations and Recordings

December 1, 2022
Presentation:
Recording
November 17, 2022
Presentation:
Recording
November 3, 2022
Presentation:
Recording
October 20, 2022
Presentation:
Recording

September 9, 2022 Sketch Plan Submittal

Project Narrative
Sketch Plan Diagrams
Select additional sketch plan submittal documents: 
The full submittal package can be found on Gunnison County’s Permit Database webpage (under Project # LUC-22-00049).
BOCC Project Update Presentation
​(March 1, 2022)
Project One-Pager
(September 15, 2021)
BOCC Study Session Presentation
(September 14, 2021)
Click on the images to download a copy of the document(s).
In this section, you will find documents related to the Whetstone parcel, which can potentially inform the design process for the site. Please click on the document title to view and download it.

Back in the 2000s, the Whetstone parcel had been considered for development of an industrial park. Below are documents that were developed then, and are NOT indicative of a current plan for the parcel: 
The following documents provide context on the housing challenges in the Gunnison Valley: 
Finally, these documents provide data for a potential development: 

Background Information

Whetstone Community Housing | 2024