Project Progress Timeline
The BCC Vision
Imagine the transformation of Basalt's connection to the Roaring Fork River. Imagine a 2.5 acre downtown riverside park and a campus of community organizations anchoring the entrance into the historic downtown. Imagine the Basalt Community Campus.
The Challenge
Since its creation in the mid 1950's as temporary housing for Ruedi Dam construction workers, the 5-acre Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park has seen a series of high water events. The Town of Basalt has commissioned and joined a number of studies to better understand the dynamics of the Roaring Fork River and explore strategies to reduce flooding danger to the town. The result of this work is the Stewardship River Master Plan, adopted in 2002. This plan details a number of steps (estimated to cost $16 to $20 million) to reduce the flooding risk to residents along its banks. Key to beginning the implementation of the River Master Plan is the relocation of a portion of the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park on the north bank of the river.
As the town was working to address river related issues, the rise in real estate values was affecting the affordability of housing in the community. Concern over the extent and price of new housing units, and the closure and redevelopment of some in-town mobile home parks (de facto affordable housing) led the Basalt Town Council to adopt a 100% replacement housing ordinance in 1999 for projects that would eliminate existing affordable units.
This ordinance has been a crucial tool in retaining the remaining mobile home parks in the community, but has also ensured significant additional costs for any redevelopment – and ironically, the implementation of the River Master Plan. These costs and the economic downturn have made redevelopment of the Pan and Fork site a significant challenge.
Recognizing the challenges of private sector redevelopment, the Basalt Town Council attempted to purchase the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park for $5.0 million through a bond vote in 2008. The ballot measure failed by 10 votes.
Efforts to address Basalt's unique set of challenges are complicated and likely cannot be addressed by the private or public sectors working alone.
A Unique Solution
The Basalt Community Campus (BCC) is a collaborative effort between the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporations and the Town of Basalt to achieving a number of long standing Town of Basalt goals: public access to the river, getting residents out of spring flooding danger, creating affordable housing, and transforming a prominent downtown corner location.
The BCC hopes to become home to several local non-profit institutions including Colorado Mountain College (CMC). The campus will feature a two and half acre riparian park purchased with town open space money, have curbside access to RFTA bus service, and offer affordable on site housing. Additional tenants will have access to 20,000 square feet of non-profit office space, an anticipated restaurant (hopefully the Tacqueira) and "campus bookstore", and other proposed amenities such as shared meeting rooms and conference style facilities.
BCC will adopt high standards of environmental awareness and green building standards. The campus is committed to offering replacement housing options for the current residents, consistent with social justice standards expected by both the Manaus Fund, the RFCDC, and the Town of Basalt.
BCC has the potential to transform downtown Basalt.
