Embedded Files
The School District wants to build teacher housing in El Jebel. Where will all the cars go?
This RFSD Staff Housing Master Plan is intended as an INTERNAL RFSD document to guide future plans. However, the school district referenced it when asked to provide referral agency comments on El Jebel Crossing.
Housing Master Plan 2025.pdfClick the graphic above to view and download the 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
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
Excerpt from Public Comment on the Master Plan:
The Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Staff Housing Master Plan, in its current form, is fundamentally flawed by a critical omission: the comprehensive analysis and mitigation of local infrastructure, zoning, and protracted permitting processes necessary to support the proposed PROVIDE housing strategy.
The plan’s own language acknowledges the risk that "Actual development potential on these sites may be lower due to zoning, adjacent neighborhood characteristics, traffic considerations, site limitations, and/or other factors." This core problem is unaddressed, making the reliance on the PROVIDE strategy a significant risk and a potential non-starter.
This approach is further contradicted by internal staff feedback, which overwhelmingly favors the more flexible SUPPORT strategy (e.g., housing stipends). While the plan dismisses this option as financially and administratively infeasible, these issues are arguably more easily solved than the costly and years-long application and planning processes inherent to large-scale, district-provided development. Furthermore, the CONNECTED housing model, which empowers employees to make their own life-driven housing choices, is undervalued.
To ensure the Master Plan is viable, the District must:
1. Elevate Infrastructure & Zoning: Incorporate "zoning/infrastructure" as a fourth main resource opportunity and constraint, alongside land, funding, and partnerships.
2. Coordinate Immediately: Begin coordinating with external entities, particularly Eagle County regarding the ongoing Land Use Code Reform, to ensure any land strategy is feasible.
3. Re-evaluate Strategy Priority: Prioritize strategies that align with staff preference (SUPPORT and CONNECT), only pursuing PROVIDE where infrastructure capacity is confirmed and all regulatory hurdles are proactively addressed.
Notice: This information was prepared using Artificial Intelligence to synthesize and organize public records from published data, CORA responses, and other relevant documents. While this tool assists in identifying patterns and structuring data, users should perform their own independent verification of quotes, dates, and technical data points against the official Eagle County case file before using this information in formal testimony or legal filings.
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