There could be significantly more rooftops in Bayfield if three proposed building developments are built in town limits.
The Orchard development proposes 14 units on 1 acre, while Marlin Village proposes 15 tiny homes that will average 228 square feet in size. Both developments are in the southern half of the town.
The largest development being proposed is Bayfield East, which would open up 153 acres north of U.S. Highway 160 for commercial and housing development.
“There is a lot of potential in this development,” said Andy Arnold, an economic development planner with SEH in Durango, the planning firm working on the project.
Bayfield East would be built in phases, constructing a total of 318 single-family homes, 45 townhomes and 156 multifamily units.
A grocery store, motel and two commercial buildings are proposed as part of the development, as well.
“This looks big in scale, but it’s a long-term project,” said Derek McCoy of Bayfield, who also is working on the plan.
The development is owned by Bayfield East, with Frank McCawley and Ezra Lee listed as two of the partners in the annexation agreement of four parcels of land with the town of Bayfield, which the town board approved on March 15. Lee is one of the owners of Farmers Fresh Market, which operates a grocery store and feed store in Ignacio.
The board also approved a sketch plan for Marlin Village at the same meeting, as well as a preliminary plan for Orchard.
Bayfield East will require a long-awaited second traffic signal to be built on Highway 160, along with an access road across from an Alta gas station on the east end of town.
The town also plans to apply for a Colorado Department of Transportation grant to build a safer pedestrian crossing on the highway. Many residents, including children, cross the highway between the Bayfield Pawn Shop and North Commerce Drive on a stretch of highway with a 55 mph speed limit.
The town must conduct a traffic study to analyze the crossing, said Nicol Killian, the town’s community development director. Possible crossings could include a flashing light signal when a pedestrian enters the crossing, or what is called a rapid-light crossing with a protected median.
Trustee David Black said he would like to see the speed limit on the highway in town be reduced to 45 mph, and other trustees agreed.
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect square footage of homes being proposed in Marlin Village.
