The town of Breckenridge has modified the master plan for the McCain property, a 128-acre parcel of town-owned land along Colorado Highway 9 and Coyne Valley Road. It’s the third time the town has amended the plan since its initial adoption in 2013.
With more workforce housing planned to go in just south of the Alta Verde workforce housing development and plans for a nonprofit campus progressing, the previous master plan quickly became outdated. Planner Chapin LaChance said that the amendment also reduced the amount of designated open space on the property due to a need for more public works space and future solar installations.
The Town Council previously reviewed the changes being made in June and July, and council members officially voted to adopt the changes at its Tuesday meeting after it was approved by the planning commission. Given that a master plan is the guiding land use document for a piece of property and any future development, it was necessary to update the plan before any of the new proposals for the property could move forward.
“Without this amendment … if we had a building permit that came in for the housing project right now in this area, currently, it would not pass the point analysis for a development permit application under the development code because this plan is essentially the zoning for the property,” LaChance said.
Alta Verde, an 80-unit affordable housing project on the property, broke ground in July. The additional housing planned for the property — which the town is currently referring to as Alta Verde II — is expected to include 150-200 rental units for the local workforce, likely in the lower area median income ranges.
According to the Town Council agenda packet, one planning commissioner believed it would also be worth considering future amendments to the master plan to authorize support services, such as a grocery store or gas station, which is something the commission didn’t think was necessary with this amendment.
“The commission thought this type of use on the north side of town would support a lot of that housing we have coming our way up there,” LaChance said. “It (would) also support some of our sustainability goals through walkability and reduced vehicle trips into town.”
The town is also working with the Family & Intercultural Resource Center to plan a nonprofit campus on the property, which has garnered mixed opinions from officials around the county. At the Tuesday work session, council member Dick Carleton said the town could also consider a new child-care center on the property to serve the families who will be living on the north end of town.
“We certainly need another child care center, and I think we think that’s a good place for it — I do,” Carleton said. “I just want to make sure the site’s right because a child care center is a unique site with specialized pick up (and) play areas.”
As the town continues working toward the McCain property’s development, it will now be able to move forward in the process with a master plan aligned with its most recent goals.
