Give the voters of Telluride a voice in the approval of major development projects.
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Write a letter to the editor
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Talk to your friends, neighbors and Town Council members
Question: What Does Measure 300 Do?
Measure 300 has three main parts that are all intended to give back a voice to the Town voters when the Town approves major development either by itself, through rezoning, or by way of providing Town municipal water to areas outside of Town-annexed land.
First: For any project the Town undertakes, either itself or in partnership with another governmental agency, that will cost more than $10,000.000, the project will be placed on the next ballot for a yes-or-no vote by the people.
Second: When the Town approves a rezoning (a change from the existing zoning, such as from Open Space to Commercial), for a business or hotel where a third party will spend more than $20,000,000, the voters get a yes-or-no vote.
Third: When the Town agrees to provide water to land that is not already annexed into the Town and will consist of ten or more residential units or one commercial unit, the decision will be placed on the next ballot for a yes-or-no vote by the people.
Question: What Does Measure 300 NOT Do?
Q: Will Measure 300 "stop the new hospital" as claimed by opponents?
A: No. This claim is a scare tactic employed by the opposition. Both of these large projects will already require a vote of the people under the current law because they will involve either new taxes and/or long-term debt, which already require the respective governmental agencies to place the matter before the voters for approval.
Additionally, everybody loves the medical center, its doctors, and staff. In 2023, when the medical center ran short of funds, voters approved a $4,000,000 annual tax increase for TMC with 65% of the vote. Support for extending water to a new hospital is likely to pass with the same margin.
Q: If I own property that is currently designated for commercial uses, does 300 require a vote when I apply for a building permit?
A: No. Measure 300 only applies to commercial rezoning. It does not apply to land currently zoned for commercial uses such as shops, restaurants, or hotels. Measure 300 also does not apply to any private residential development. It also does not apply to any development allowed under a rezoning that will cost less than $20,000,000.
Q: Does Measure 300 apply to private residential development in the Town at any level of development cost?
A: No.
Q: Will Measure 300 hurt affordable housing development?
A: No. Rezoning to allow higher-density private residential development is not affected by Measure 300 in any manner. The Town is free to upzone residential development to any level the Town chooses. The bigger problem with "affordable housing" is not the widespread support for affordable housing in Town, but that the Town's recent "affordable housing" is anything but affordable unless you are making $150,000 a year or more.
Regarding the concerns about Chair 7 / Carhenge development, almost everyone is in favor of housing at Carhenge, but they are opposed to a new luxury hotel in the current open space (Tract Y) built by Chuck Horning, which many people have pointed out appears to contradict the contractual provisions Telski (then Telco) and the Town agreed to in the 1980s. What the voters want and need is more input on how much the units built will ultimately cost renters (or buyers), and projects that are too expensive to rent affordably should be examined very closely.
Q: Will Measure 300 "undermine elected officials"?
A: No. Our elected officials will continue to conduct the necessary reviews to ensure compliance with the Town Code, planning regulations, and site requirements. HARC will continue to conduct a comprehensive review of every project to ensure compatibility with the existing features of the Town. Rather, after the Town has done all that hard work, reviewed all the studies and costs, and approved a project, the Town voters then get to vote yes or no on the project. No degree in urban planning is necessary. The problem with relying on elected officials is that, in turn, they have outsourced almost all planning to paid consultants who benefit from unbridled growth, as it benefits the consultants' bottom line.
Q: Will Measure 300 "lead to bad planning"?
A: No. Currently, the Town of Telluride has an annual budget exceeding $100,000,000. That is $50,000 per Town voter. The problem is not that putting large projects to a vote will lead to poor planning; the problem is that the Town has too much money to spend on consultants who make their living by proposing and designing massive new projects that can benefit them, but cost too much for most working people.
Q: Will Measure 300 "exacerbate inequalities"?
A: No. The biggest problem with the recent Town projects is that they are entirely unaffordable to most workers. Developing new commercial spaces exacerbates the situation, as it requires a host of new people to work in these spaces, which increases the demand for affordable housing, creating a vicious cycle that leads to more of everything. What exacerbates inequalities is not building housing that most people who work in Town can afford.
