RFSD Staff Housing Master Plan

The Roaring Fork School District Staff Housing Master Plan 2025 provides strong, evidence-based counter-arguments to the El Jebel Crossing project, particularly when framed against the applicant's strategy of focusing on "technical compliance" and the documented infrastructure failings.

The Master Plan is a document of competing, prioritized public need that is being undermined by the proposed development. The JW Drive site consists of two parcels with a total of 15.71 acres. It is estimated to accommodate a minimum of 64 units and a maximum of 229 units, depending on the development density and strategy.

1. Counter-Argument to Infrastructure Neutralization (Traffic/LOS F)

The CORA report notes the applicant is using a 4–5% traffic increase to fall below the CDOT permit threshold and is neutralizing other agency objections. The Master Plan's core principles go against the project's impact on regional infrastructure and staff welfare.

• Cite the Geographical Equity Principle: The Master Plan identifies housing challenges as "compounded by longer commutes from areas with lower costs" (Page 8). By allowing a large-scale project that contributes to a "known LOS F intersection," you can argue the County is:

• Directly violating a core principle of the RFSD Master Plan by worsening the already-catastrophic traffic and commute burden on the entire region, including District staff.

• Ignoring the staff priority: Figure 14 shows "Proximity to work" is the highest-ranked location preference after price/affordability. A project that creates more gridlock at the main intersection for staff commuting to schools in Basalt/El Jebel is antithetical to the Master Plan's goals.

2. Undermining the "Public Need" Justification

If the El Jebel Crossing project is a general-market or non-RFSD workforce housing development, the Master Plan shows the most critical need in the area is for dedicated RFSD Staff Housing.

• Establish Competing, Documented Need: The Master Plan establishes an upper limit of 434 units of need for District staff over the next 10 years, with a goal to meet 326 units (Page 17). This need is especially acute in the Basalt/El Jebel area.

• Claim Undermined Public Investment: The District has specifically prioritized nearby land (e.g., JW Drive in El Jebel) as a High Priority Development Site to meet this need (Page 17, 26). Argue that approving El Jebel Crossing's large-scale density, which pushes the local infrastructure (especially traffic) to a breaking point, actively undermines the District's future ability to build its own highly prioritized staff housing on the adjacent JW Drive site without running into catastrophic, pre-existing infrastructure failure.

3. Challenge Project Design and Unit Mix

While the 111-unit count is "by-right" density, the quality and type of the units are subject to review.

• Cite Unit Type Preferences: The Master Plan indicates that RFSD staff are primarily interested in Townhomes (90%) and Condominiums (86%), with less interest in apartments (Page 34). They also primarily request 2-bedroom/2-bath and 3-bedroom/2-bath units to accommodate families (Page 35, Figure 15).

• Argument: If El Jebel Crossing primarily consists of studio or one-bedroom apartments (as is common in dense projects), you can argue that the development does not align with the demonstrated needs of the RFSD workforce (families and those seeking ownership opportunities) that the Master Plan is designed to protect. It fails to contribute meaningfully to the type of housing crisis documented.

Sources:

• Housing Master Plan 2025.pdf