Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Hayden Planning Com-mission on Thursday will consider a proposal for 48 townhomes at the base of Golden Meadows.

Developers are proposing to build four townhome buildings at Harvest Drive and Poplar Street. The land is zoned high-density residential.

The Planning Commission will review two sketch plans. Plan A places all four buildings within the corner of the existing roads.

Plan B -- the town's preferred plan -- calls for straightening the L-curve on Harvest Drive, which then would run through the townhome project.

The sketch plan, the beginning of the planning review process, doesn't address details such as open space and engineering, Town Manager Russ Martin said.

"I imagine a lot of thoughts and ideas will come up at the meeting," he said.

One issue that will need to be discussed is how the three-story buildings might affect views from Golden Meadows and other nearby neighborhoods, Martin said.

Developers are presenting the townhomes as "more affordable," with buyers including families with small children.

In that sense, the development's location is convenient, because it is near Hayden Valley Elementary School. The key will be designing the project so children can get to school safely, Martin said.

Also Thursday, developer Jim Woods will present a revised preliminary plan for the Dry Creek Village subdivision, proposed on Routt County Road 37.

Woods has addressed most of the issues that concerned town staff and the Planning Commission in August, though there are some issues he hopes to negotiate, Martin said.

The town has recommended 28-foot-wide side streets, and Woods wants 24-foot streets. He also wants to build a trail system instead of sidewalks on secondary streets.

Although Woods has proposed a lift station for wastewater, the town is recommending that he explore connecting to existing sewer lines in Dry Creek Park.

In other business, the commission will consider a proposal for a 60-square-foot real estate sign advertising lots in the Valley View Business Park. The sign would be near U.S. Highway 40 east of C.R. 37.

The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at Hayden Town Hall.

-- To reach Tamera Manzanares, call 871-4204 or e-mail tmanzanares@steamboatpilot.com