Topside Business Park development location. Image from Page 10 of the October 10, 2023 BV BOT meeting packet.
The Buena Vista (BV) Board of Trustees (BoT) meets next on Tuesday, March 26 beginning with work session focused on the Topside Annexation at 6:00 p.m. in the Pinon Room of the Buena Vista Community Center (715 East Main Street). The regular meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Board will hear recommendations from the Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) on 2024 Community Grant recommendations, consider approval of a water service agreement with Stackhaus, LLC, and hear an update on the Water Conservation Plan.
The work session concerning the Topside Annexation will follow up on lingering questions regarding the annexation petition. The development, known as the Topside Business Park, was proposed by Dormie Capital Partners (DCP) Buena Vista LLC. The developer petitioned to have the 30.371 acre property annexed into the town of Buena Vista to take advantage of the town’s Opportunity Zone (OZ) for development. The decision on whether to accept the annexation or not was continued during the February 27 meeting.
According to the packet memo, ” Staff met with Topside on March 6 to go over some process questions and many of the broad brushstrokes about the project. Topside’s responses to these questions will direct discussions on March 26 and inform any direction given to staff and next steps related to the planned agenda item on April 9.”
An overview of the Topside Team’s responses to town questions raised during the previous discussion is available in the packet, linked at the end of this article. No decisions will be made during the work session.
CCCF Executive Director Betsy Dittenber will present the 2024 Community Grant recommendations to the BoT. The 2024 grant process received 46 application. Of those eleven were not recommended, two were ineligible due to political affiliation and incomplete application materials, and thirty-three were recommended for funding.
The Board will then consider approval of a Water Service Agreement with Alpine West (Stackhouse LLC) development owned by Alex Telthorst. Telthorst submitted an annexation petition in December 2021 for 15750 County Road 306 (located across the street from nonprofit Mini Blessings) “along with a request to zone the property R-3 High Density Residential in order build a development including single family attached and detached as well as multifamily apartment units.” The annexation did not go through then, though it had a majority of support of voting Board members at the time (3 to 2).
Telthorst reapplied as a Planned Development (PUD to the County Planning Department. According to the memo in the meeting packet, “He [Telthorst] helped secure a Proposition 123 Land Banking forgivable loan to Chaffee Housing Authority (CHA) to purchase multifamily land and entitlements from Stackhaus LLC. The entitlements will be for up to 75 apartments (CHA – 80 percent to 140 percent AMI [Area Median Income] units) and 6 condos (80 percent and 100 percent AMI – Chaffee Housing Trust).”
Previous Town Administrator Lisa Parnell-Rowe was directed to provide a letter of intent (LOI) to serve the development if an agreement was reached with the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (UAWCD).
The BoT will be considering a resolution to approve an Extraterritorial Water Service Agreement containing pre-annexation language for the development.
The last business item on the agenda is an update from Public Works Director Shawn Williams and Swiftwater Solutions LLC founder Al Smith on the Water Conservation Plan.
The Board will consider approval of the consent agenda, which includes minutes from the BoT on March 12, the Tree Advisory Board on February 1, the Beautification Advisory Board on February 15, the Planning and Zoning Commission on February 21, and the Recreation Advisory Board on February 21. The Town Clerk Report and a resolution to appoint Tina Bennetts and Michael Westheimer as alternate members of the Planning and Zoning Commission are also included in the consent agenda for Tuesday.
Staff reports will be delivered by Town Administrator Brian Berger, Town Treasurer Phillip Puckett, Recreation Director Shane Basford, and Airport Manager Jack Wyles.
The full agenda and packet for the March 26 BoT meeting are available on the Town’s website.
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