The Salida housing project known as The Residences at Salida Bottling was approved by Salida City Council on May 4, 2022. It has received extensive community comments, both for and against. This now includes a group of residents who have begun a petition to reverse the decision of the Salida City Council to approve the inclusionary housing project planned for 323 West First Street.
Westward viewscape of First Street with proposed Residences at Salida Bottling in center background. Image courtesy of City of Salida
But the actual facts of the project may be getting lost in the controversy. While it is perfectly acceptable to have a personal opinion about this proposal — either for it or against it — purposely misleading the public with misinformation is unfortunate. First is the impression that somehow this project and the city’s approval was “sprung” on the residents of Salida.
It was not. Over more than six months of review, it was on the agenda of three Planning Commission meetings and three City Council meetings. There were multiple public hearings, and opportunities for people to ask questions, view the plans, and write letters to the Salida Planning Department.
The proposed project would include 16 townhome units and one commercial space with an upstairs condo; including four, deed-restricted inclusionary housing units reserved for Average Median Income (AMI) pricing, by size of family and size of the unit. While not cheap in comparison to housing costs a decade ago (what is these days), they would be below market for today’s housing situation.
The Residences at Salida Bottling project has been vetted by city engineers, and city planners. Along the way, its developers say they have listened to neighbors and made adjustments. In fact, the project has undergone view-corridor studies and solar studies, and at the request of City Council, twenty-five percent of the total units will be deed-restricted in perpetuity, which will make them permanently affordable.
Archival photo of Salida Bottling Works, 323 West First Street, site of proposed 16-unit planned development at downtown’s western gateway. Courtesy photo
While the site currently provides parking as a nondescript dirt lot, it is a stretch to say the new housing project, as one city resident Vince Phillips described it — is something that could damage the character of the city. When the alternative is an unsightly dirt lot, this is merely speculation and fearmongering. The site formerly housed the Salida Bottling Works and other railroad parcels.
The applicants wrote a letter to the editor “to express concern that people who didn’t participate in public hearings or voice concern during the six months that the Planning Commission and Council were reviewing the project, are now circulating a petition to appeal the City Council approval. This appeal, [if successful], would remove four badly needed inclusionary units from the market and [regardless of outcome], managing the appeal process could cost the taxpayers of Salida in excess of $20,000.”
There are misconceptions surrounding the proposed development related to its impact on city character, building heights, and parking. Regarding “city character” say the developers, the proposed project “reflects the architectural character and history of Salida, and at the same time meets some of the city’s housing needs.”
The alternative to the proposed multi-level structure could be a monolithic block of condos in that space. Or the owners could simply turn the lot into a parking structure that might attract even more traffic to this gateway entry to downtown Salida on U.S. 291. That wasn’t something they believe to be conducive to the core of historic Salida .
Allowed building Heights at 323 West First Street. Drawing courtesy City of Salida Planning Department
Another misconception regards building heights. While naysayers are complaining that the plan exceeds the city’s building heights, this is not true.
According to city building codes, the maximum height of any part of a townhome within 24 feet of First Street or the Monarch Spur Trail cannot exceed 35 feet.
The developers say that “the interior units will have pitched rather than flat roofs to allow more light into those units. The very top of these few roof peaks cannot exceed 40 feet, and they will not.
One misconception throughout the county is that although the new comprehensive plan reflects residents’ desire to “keep the city in the city and the country in the country,” many of the new developments being proposed and built continue to sprawl on the edge of municipalities and in the rural county. The cities have a goal to see more development within the city itself, especially as infill development. The Residences at Salida Bottling project would appear to meet that need.
“This is an urban project, intended to meet the city’s goal of infill development and to keep development within the city and out of rural areas,” said the developers.
Featured image: Conceptual drawing of The Residences at Salida Bottling project at 323 West First Street in Salida. Image courtesy of the applicant
Looks like this project is exactly what Salida needs. It’s building inside the city so the fields and hills don’t become a new subdivision. It has some affordable units (not enough but still). It replaces an empty lot with a new commercial space as well as residences. It won’t be cheap but have u noticed every 1 bedroom shack in town now costs $400 k and up?? If this project isn’t approvable just what would be? A castle made of gumdrops that’s also a skateboard park? Perhaps
David Zuger
NYC and Salida
Editor, The changes in population demographics for Chaffee County, have been exceptionally rapid in the past decade. Driving to Aspen to take in a little bit of glitteratti for a day is now an unneeded pastime because they have come to us. Transients who landed in Salida only a few years ago have taken on outsized roles in local affairs without needing time to establish themselves because they have lived here longer than the newest wave.
Planning by this transient class has left long term residents exhausted. Rules long established have been changed to accommodate a cohort of wealthy retirees who assume that membership in a “Steamplant” committee is akin to godliness. The term “Character of Salida” marginalizes the working class in favor of the artistic class who assume importance..
The Salida City Council has found one goal it can agree on. There should be a Tesla in every driveway. In the case of the Salida Bottling Company that driveway is a parking garage and a tall building with rooftop seating to raise the height of those noses that would look down on those who can no longer afford to walk on the sidewalks below those noses. Adding the label of “inclusionary” housing for residents at costs upwards of half million dollars demeans every wage earner in this valley.
Don’t call that progress or progressive.
Kirby Perschbacher
Will the Salida Bottling Company project utilize the existing old two-story brick building (closer to 2nd Street) or will it be demolished?
Hello Bob, As far as we know, this project is planned for the existing dirt lot which no longer has a building on it historic or otherwise.
Bob, you may be referring to the dirt lot with brick building and shed, at 314 West Second St. This is directly behind the planned Residences at Salida Bottling in this article. Looking at the Chaffee County Assessor web site for this property, you can see that it is .4 acres and owned by Timberline Properties Partnership, LLP. The Colorado Secretary of State web site gives more details on the owner. The Assessor pages show changes in ownership, a photo of the old brick “warehouse” and the Map view shows the proximity to the rear of 323 West First Street, the housing site. It would appear that the two properties are completely unrelated at this time, though what future plans are for the lot, remain to be seen.
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I’ve always resisted the urge to comment on stuff here, because I don’t think AVV deserves the attention. But I have to point out that this ‘news report’ is a great example of what’s wrong with today’s ‘news reporting’. This isn’t news. It’s an opinion piece and should be labeled as opinion. Publishing opinions as news is dishonest. I can see why no one advertises here. What self-respecting business owner would associate with this tripe? Th lack of advertising begs the question: Who pays for this?
Hello Sean,
You are welcome to your opinion about this article, but it is indeed fact-based and our opinion about the Salida Bottling project is not relevant.