Gunnison County and the City of Gunnison seek to update the Three Mile Plan, Intergovernmental Agreement, and Gunnison County Land Use Resolution to guide development in unincorporated Gunnison County surrounding the City of Gunnison. A draft Subarea Plan for the North Gateway and Highway 50 subareas (identified in Figure 1) was developed in 2023 to guide future development in these areas facing increasing development pressure. The Draft Subarea Plan reflects the values outlined in the City of Gunnison 2030 Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan), which states, "The North Gateway Subarea largely defines the area where the City will consider annexation and incremental growth within the three-mile area. Should parcels in the North Subarea be annexed into the City, their land use and zoning designations should reflect similar use and level of intensity to adjacent land uses currently within the municipal boundary." The project area is in the jurisdiction of Gunnison County and subject to the standards of the Gunnison County Land Use Resolution. The City and County have an existing Intergovernmental Agreement for the three-mile planning area that will need to be updated. The Subarea Plan included project-specific public engagement and built upon past community outreach conducted as part of the 2016 One Valley Prosperity Project and the Comp Plan. There is strong support among the community for incremental growth of the City to the north in a manner that prioritizes infill within the City first. Additionally, the public prioritized and supported: multi-modal connectivity, street/grid connection and extension, and extension of City design standards. The Comp Plan notes that the north Gunnison subarea "should provide broad potential for walkable neighborhoods, missing middle, and multi-family, including seniors and students." To conclude this long-range planning effort, the City and County need an updated plan addressing development within the three-mile area, excluding the North Gateway and Highway 50 Subareas. This plan should leverage existing public engagement, the Comp Plan, and Subarea Plan. The County will need to update the Land Use Resolution with a "...framework to encourage and direct industrial and commercial development into existing platted or zoned areas and enable opportunities for new commercial and industrial developments and newly developed Special Geographic Areas in order to: a) Preserve our rural heritage. b) Protect our community corridors (Hwy 50 and Hwy 135) and viewsheds along those corridors. c) Support the community values described in the One Valley Prosperity Strategy. d) Support compact development patterns.", The Gunnison County Board of Commissioners, result D.4 of the 2019 Gunnison County Strategic Plan. And to align with the Comp Plan, which states: "By 2020, the City will update the Three Mile Plan to identify areas currently outside City limits that will be suitable for industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational uses" 1. Work with the County to coordinate the Three Mile Plan review process to identify areas that are best suited for long-term annexation "By 2030 Gunnison's residents and guests will experience a vibrant western community where we live, learn, and earn in harmony with our incredible natural surroundings. Gunnison and Western Colorado University will be recognized together as a strong and vibrant premier "university town" in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. In the future, we will realize: 1. Increasing prosperity through an abundance of entrepreneurs creating and bringing jobs and investments to our community. 2. Attainable housing for each of our residents and employees. 3. Thoughtfully planned development which is supported by our natural and man-made resources, enhanced by our character and image as a charming mountain community, and maintained by our exceptional sense of place. 4. Safe interconnected trails, sidewalks, roads, and transit systems which provide enjoyable and intuitive access to all areas of the community. 5. A sustainable, carbon neutral future addressing energy and water resource consumption to be resilient to climate change. 3 City of Gunnison and Gunnison County RFP 6. A long term growth plan for the City to incrementally and responsibly expand beyond the current City limits and make informed decisions in conjunction with the County for the three mile area." Additionally, the County and City seek to incorporate best practices and streamlined processes for enabling affordable and attainable housing, and land use policies outlined in the State of Colorado's Land Use Best Practices. Qualifications: The ability of the proposer to meet the terms of the RFP, and should include at least three examples of projects (with contact information for lead client staff contact of such projects) completed within the past five years that will confirm the proposer's expertise in providing comprehensive planning services. Examples must be specific to the key staff identified in (1) and be at or near completion at the time of submitting the RFP. The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.
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