Tuesday, February 11

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Town of Crestone Advances Land Swap Discussion with Charter School

By Anya Kaats

The Town of Crestone Board of Trustees is moving forward with discussions about a potential land swap with the Crestone Charter School (CCS), a project that board members say could reshape community access and local services, providing long-term benefit for the school, the town, and the greater community. 

The lot adjacent to CCS, parcel 460407199003 (tract 1), is owned by the Town of Crestone, while another lot adjacent to that, parcel 460407300019, is owned by CCS. The proposal is to swap parcels, giving CCS ownership of the town’s tract 1 parcel to the west of the school, and giving the town ownership to some of a parcel of land owned by the CCS that sits to the west of tract 1. 

After receiving positive feedback from CCS Director Thomas Cleary, the board expressed excitement about the renewed interest in a long-standing idea. “This is something we’ve been talking about for eight years,” said Mayor Benjamin Byer.

A key component of the plan includes creating a road between the town and the Baca, addressing current traffic flow issues that stem from having only one access point into town.

The project could also facilitate the possible development of community services on the property adjacent to CCS. “There are things like a library and a long list of services people have wanted to see,” Trustee Kizzen Laki explained. 

The board agreed to initiate discussions with the Planning Commission in order to brainstorm and review maps and previous proposals. The land swap proposal will need to address several technical challenges, including annexation agreements, subdividing, and zoning changes. It will also require cooperation from the town, CCS, and possibly the county. The board emphasized the importance of considering all stakeholders’ needs in the planning process.

The Planning Commission will begin reviewing the proposal at their next meeting, with detailed maps and historical documentation of previous planning efforts to be presented.

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