Granby’s future RV park development took a step closer to fruition this week with a pair of approvals from the Granby Planning Commission, while the very next day the Granby Town Board approved the sale of an additional 64 acres of land to Sun Communities to develop an affordable housing project along Highway 40.

The Granby Planning Commission held a public hearing Monday evening to discuss a preliminary subdivision plat for the proposed Granby RV resort and a preliminarily planned development overlay district (PDOD). Both the preliminary plat and PDOD were approved by the commission.

The preliminary documents will go back before the board of trustees for consideration, anticipated at the Sept. 26 board meeting.

If the board does approve the preliminary plat and PDOD documents, Sun Communities will then develop more detailed planning documents.

“If [preliminary documents are] approved they [Sun Communities] will come back with a final PDOD and final plat,” said Aaron Blair, Granby town manager. “There will be a lot more detail and work on their part for that particular application. I would assume we will not see that until November, but that is just my guess.”

Blair noted that Sun Communities has by the end of 2017 for the project estimate’s final approval from the town, with construction starting sometime next spring after the winter snow melts.

Several citizens showed up to Monday night’s meeting to present questions and express concerns about the development plans.

“The important thing is that the community comes together,” said Granby Mayor Paul Chavoustie. “We want people to voice their opposition. It did not feel adversarial at all though.”

Chavoustie said Monday night’s public hearing featured numerous questions from citizens and resulted in a few additional stipulations the town is placing on the development. Sun Communities will now be required to add wildlife corridors within the development, to allow elk and other animals to access the Colorado River along their natural pathways.

The town also stipulated the addition of a public access walking trail to allow locals to hike through the area even after the development has been completed. The walking path will require the Sun Communities development area north of the Colorado River to be pushed back away from the bluff overlooking the riparian valley.

“There were letters of concern from a couple of parties who had valid concerns,” Chavoustie said. “We are addressing those.”

On top of discussions about the RV park development, on Tuesday night the Granby Board voted to execute a purchase agreement with Sun Communities to create an attainable housing development on the Shorefox property along Highway 40, directly behind the warehouse facilities sitting north of the intersection of Highways 40 and 34.

Blair said Sun Communities is looking at constructing somewhere between 300 and 350 housing units, of which roughly one-third would be earmarked for workers of the future RV park. The remaining units would be specifically reserved for full-time residents of the area.

“These will not be affordable second homes for people,” Blair said. “It is for full-time residents in our area.”