An Ouray developer has proposed a 21-lot subdivision on the Clemmons Placer site along the Shrine Road below the “S” rock, with “attainable” single-family homes as part of the project.
Mark Hinkson, of Hinkson Development Co. LLC of Ouray said the plan involves realigning the Shrine Road to reduce the grade. Homes in the $180,000 to $200,000 range could be built on the lower lots and higher-end homes above the switchback.
The 9.9-acre Clemmons Placer site was annexed into the Town of Silverton on July 9, 2007.
Planning Commission member Ken Safranski said he was surprised at the density  of homes in the proposal.
“You’re putting a heck of a lot of lots on that,” Safranski said. “I pictured maybe four house sites.”
Planning Commission member Aaron Brill questioned how the angled lots along the Shrine Road overlooking town would clash with Silverton’s street grid.
“The whole town is on a grid,” Brill said. “These angled lots will look like — for lack of a better word — crap.”
Planning Commission Chairman Fritz Klinke said the steep terrain involved makes continuation of the grid system unfeasible.
Planning Commission member David Zanoni pointed to the earthwork and foundations needed to build on the steep lots and questioned whether affordable housing is realistic on those sites.
The planning commission unanimously approved the sketch plan for the project with some stipulations:
• That the “S Rock” trail be kept open;
• That appropriate design guidelines be established;
• And that the staff and developer find a way to incorporate attainable housing into the project.
The developer will also have to make sure the adjacent town water and sewer infrastructure can handle any connections.
The proposal now goes to the Town Council as a sketch plan. If approved, it could then be submitted as a preliminary plat application for a planned unit development. A final plat would also need to be approved by the planning commission and the Town Council.