Massive West End development in Edwards gets the green light from Eagle County

The Eagle County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved the West End development in Edwards, although there’s more work to do before construction begins.

During deliberations, commissioners said the proposal by East West Partners isn’t perfect, but said the 275-unit rental is “adequate” and meets a desperate need for housing on the valley floor.

While public comment was limited to just a couple of changes in the plan — variances that had been removed since the last hearing on Aug. 5 — the hearing room was still mostly filled with residents, most of whom opposed the plan.

---

---

Those residents had spoken out at that meeting about impacts to traffic, as well as the proposed building’s size and its potential effects on the adjacent Eagle River Preserve Open Space.

While most public comment on the proposal had been closed following the Aug. 5 meeting, changes to a proposed retaining wall were open for public comment.

---

---

Residents still unhappy

Resident Joanna Kerwin said while that wall won’t intrude upon the open space, it should still be removed to reduce the height of the building.

During the applicant’s presentation, Kevin Murphy, the vice president of real estate development for East West Partners, responded to an earlier question from the commissioners about where residents would receive their mail by stating the building would have a postal room, adding that his firm has been in contact with Rep. Joe Neguse’s office about making it an official postal facility.

Commissioners, along with residents, had also expressed concern about traffic, particularly regarding a proposed loop road through three properties: the West End, Gashouse restaurant and Edwards Plaza. The road will only allow residents and customers to turn right into and out of the area.

Residents had questioned why the traffic study used in the approval came from early 2020.

Murphy noted that the study was done in early March of that year, before the economic shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Later in the hearing, Eagle County Engineer Ben Gerdes said that the initial approval of the loop road and access plan by the Colorado Department of Transportation — which controls both the Edwards Access Road and U.S. Highway 6 — was granted for a previously approved plan. Gerdes said the numbers in the initial traffic study have been adjusted to account for growth, as well as other approved developments. Other adjustments were made because the previously approved plan included roughly 100,000 square feet of commercial space, which was expected to generate more traffic.

Trouble getting to I-70?

In the commissioners’ deliberations, Jeanne McQueeney worried that people leaving the loop road and heading toward Interstate 70 would be in the right lane, and then have to get immediately into the left lane, potentially causing more traffic congestion.

Murphy replied that the same traffic configuration is in place at the Westin Riverfront Village in Avon.

Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry said that thinking about 275 studio, one- and two-bedroom units on the site, “Hopefully it’s not all new people.” Perhaps, she added, families may be able to live closer to where they work, which might be able to alleviate some traffic.

Addressing the concerns some residents have about impacts on the Eagle River Preserve, Chandler-Henry said having density next to open space is essential, for both open space and residents.

Commissioner Matt Scherr noted that new development inevitably brings more traffic, adding that perhaps the expansion of transit with the advent of Core Transit may ease car traffic in the area. That site, he added, is a good spot for expanded transit service. And, he noted, a project with fewer units but more commercial space could add to traffic at the busy intersection.

Chandler-Henry said she and the other commissioners had to weigh a host of land use and other standards in deliberating the fate of the West End application, which required passage of 11 separate motions.

“It’s not ideal,” Chandler-Henry said. “But it’s adequate.”