WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO TELLURIDE IN TWENTY YEARS? Final Presentation of Telluride Region Alternative Futures Study - Open & Free to Public

What direction is Telluride headed? How will future population increases, housing, jobs, traffic and mining impact the region? The Telluride Foundation was curious and contracted with the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University (Harvard) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conduct an Alternative Futures Study, which took two years to complete and involved a public, community-based effort. The public is invited to attend the final presentation of the study on Thursday, June 25 from 4:00 to 6:00p.m. at the Palm Theatre.

Twenty years ago, nobody imagined in Park City, Aspen or Vail, the magnitude, scale or speed of development and its resulting impacts. The Telluride Region has experienced similar stages of development and resulting impacts. Issues include not just residential and commercial building, but also future extensive oil and gas development, uranium mining and milling start-up, conversion of ranch and agricultural lands, water rights and usage, changing workforce demographics, to mention a few. Coupled with the fact that Telluride and Mountain Village will be effectively built out in the next decade, the protection and enhancement of the economy, ecology and community will require thoughtful, fact-based and far-sighted decisions.

The Study uses advanced global information systems (GIS) computer modeling to project the 20-30 year economic, ecological and community impacts of various near term decision scenarios. The principal objectives of this study are to understand and model regional scale economic, ecological and community interactions and to assist the Telluride Foundation and regional community leaders in decision making that might affect the future of the region.

The interdependence of Telluride and the surrounding communities is widely acknowledged and has a profound influence on the study area. Housing markets, labor markets and commercial markets are closely linked among Telluride, Ridgway and Norwood. If the demand for second homes and retirement homes in the greater region continue to increase, there will be pressure on labor and housing markets that will raise costs and further exacerbate the social challenges facing Telluride, particularly on the full-time residents of Telluride. The only long-term solution is a regional solution and the value in this Study is that it looks at these issues across jurisdictions, in an integrated manner and across longer time horizons.

On Thursday, June 25 from 4:00 to 6:00p.m. the conclusion of the study will be presented at the Palm Theatre. The presentation is free and will provide you with a glimpse of what the future could have in store for the Telluride region. By 2030, residents of San Miguel, Ouray and west Montrose counties are likely to have several thousand new neighbors, if not more. Every community in the region will be affected in many ways as the economic, social and visual landscape changes. The public is encouraged to attend. For more information on the study, please visit http://telluride.alternativefuturestechnologies.com/.

The Telluride Foundation exists to create a stronger Telluride community through grant making, technical assistance and proactive initiatives. It is a non-profit, apolitical community foundation that provides year-round support for local organizations involved in arts, early childhood development, education, athletics, charitable causes, land conservation and other community-wide efforts through technical assistance, education and grant making. The Foundation makes grant awards to qualified organizations and runs program initiatives to enhance the quality of life for people living and working in the Telluride region. For more information on the Telluride Foundation, visit www.telluridefoundation.org.

 

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