Telluride Foundation-Contracted Long-Term Study Results Delivered Tonight, 4-6 p.m., at the Palm

TELLURIDE – Who are we and where are we headed? 

How will the Telluride region accommodate everything from future population increases to housing, jobs, traffic and mining? 

Looking for answers to these and other questions, the Telluride Foundation contracted with the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to conduct a Telluride Region Alternative Futures Study.

The study, which took two years to complete and involved a public, community-based effort, is finished, and the public is invited to attend its final presentation tonight, June 25, 4-6 p.m., at the Palm Theatre.

Twenty years ago, in Park City, Aspen or Vail, it was impossible to imagine the magnitude, scale or speed of the development that lay ahead, not to mention 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 a future of extensive oil and gas development, uranium mining and milling start-ups, conversion of ranch and agricultural lands, water rights and usage, changing workforce demographics, just to mention a few.

Coupled with the fact that the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village will be effectively built out in the next decade, efforts to protect and enhance our community, economy and ecology will require thoughtful, fact-based and far-sighted decisions. 

The study used advanced Global Information Systems computer modeling to project the 20-30 year economic, ecological and community impacts of various near-term decision scenarios, taking as its principal objectives the understanding and modeling of regional scale economic, ecological and community interactions, and assisting the Foundation and regional community leaders in decision-making that affects 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 continues to increase, the resulting pressure on labor and housing markets will raise costs and further exacerbate the social challenges facing Telluride, and its full-time residents most especially. 

A long-term regional solution is imperative, and this study will look at related issues across jurisdictions in an integrated manner, with long-term time horizons.  

The final study is presented tonight, Thursday, June 25, 4-6 p.m., at the Palm Theatre; it’s free, and provides attendees 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 www.telluride.alternativefuturestechnologies.com.