RFSD Staff Housing Master Plan

Based on the official records and referral comments for the EJ Crossing application (File Nos. 1041-009568-2025, VIS-009583-2025, and FONZ-009582-2025), the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) was formally listed as a referral agency.

Their specific technical concerns, as documented in the public record and discussed by local stakeholders, are as follows:

RFSD Referral Comments & Infrastructure Concerns

• Conflict with RFSD Housing Plan: The district specifically referenced its 2025 Staff Housing Master Plan, identifying its own adjacent land on JW Drive (15.71 acres) as a "High Priority Development Site" for future school workforce housing (estimated at 64 to 229 units)
  
  

• Infrastructure "Lock Out": The RFSD expressed concern that the EJ Crossing project could consume the remaining finite infrastructure capacity—specifically road volume at the already-failing JW Drive/Highway 82 intersection—effectively "locking out" the district from being able to develop its own prioritized staff housing in the future.
  
  

• Student Generation & Mitigation: The RFSD referral noted that the 111 units would introduce a significant new student population into the district. While the exact cash-in-lieu dollar amount is typically finalized at the platting stage, the district requires such mitigation to address the increased enrollment without corresponding existing facility funding
  
  

• Traffic and Safety: The district highlighted that existing intersections, such as JW Drive and Highway 82, are already at Level of Service (LOS) F (failing). They noted that additional traffic from this development would further degrade safety and functionality for school buses and staff commutes
  
  

Status of Other Agency Referrals

• Roaring Fork Fire Rescue (RFFR): Stated that the current emergency route is "very congested during peak hours" and that the "increased trips generated by new development will impact our response in a timely fashion
  
  

• Town of Basalt: Expressed "sincere concern" regarding the impact on traffic and the low-functioning intersections, specifically stating they were not supportive of the proposed parking plan or the request for a traffic variance
  
  

• Basalt Police Department: Estimated the project would generate 10 additional mutual aid service calls annually, costing the town $4,673.70 per year, and requested a financial contribution to offset this cost
  
  

Upcoming Hearing Information

The Roaring Fork Valley Regional Planning Commission (RFVPC) is scheduled to hold a hearing specifically for the 1041-009568-2025 application (to be re-scheduled), where these referral comments will be a central part of the staff evaluation.