Editorial from Robert Anderson

Crystal is one of those rare places that still feels untouched by time. Tucked high in the West Elk Mountains at the headwaters of the Crystal River, the town has remained virtually unchanged for generations. Its rugged access road, isolation, and five-hour distance from Gunnison have acted as a natural buffer, preserving a landscape and a way of life that many of us thought could never be recreated anywhere else. 

When the Collins and Tidwell families purchased Crystal in the 1950s, they promised Emmet Gould — the elder who passed it to them — that they would protect the town and share it responsibly. They honored that promise for decades. In the 48 years I’ve owned my home here, the consistency of Crystal has been nothing short of remarkable. Very few places in Colorado have managed to avoid commercialization and overdevelopment the way Crystal has. 

That legacy is now at risk. 

Treasure Mountain Ranch, which now owns the majority of the historic townsite of Crystal, has submitted a development proposal that would significantly alter both the scale and character of this fragile community. Their application begins with four single-family yurts and a 5,000-square-foot storage barn, but it does not end there. Later phases envision a private ski area, a geothermal spa, a manufactured lake, and high-end housing — in effect, a year-round luxury resort built in the middle of a remote and historic settlement. 

Crystal was never designed for this level of use, and the land cannot support it without losing what makes it special. The town has no modern infrastructure, no capacity for resort traffic, and no way to absorb the environmental impacts that come with intensive, amenity-driven development. Above all, the proposal contradicts the long-standing expectation of careful, light-touch stewardship that has defined Crystal since its earliest days. 

Some supporters of the project argue that denying this application could lead the owners to sell the property, potentially to a buyer with even more ambitious development goals. But that argument relies on fear, not facts. There is no guarantee that a future buyer would be harmful. In fact, it is just as likely — if not more so — that new owners would be properly capitalized, stable, and committed to long-term stewardship rather than short-term survival. Good decisions are never made out of fear of the unknown. 

According to reporting in The Aspen Times, the current owners took on a substantial amount of debt to acquire the property. While I am not claiming they are insolvent, it is reasonable to recognize that this debt may be shaping their urgency to develop. That is precisely why Gunnison County has a land-use review process: to ensure that decisions are based on what is appropriate for the land, not the financial pressures of the applicant. 

On Wednesday, December 4th, the Gunnison County Planning Commission will make a decision that will shape the future of Crystal for decades. This is a turning point. If you care about preserving the history, solitude, and integrity of Crystal, your voice matters now more than ever. 

The Commission is accepting public comments until December 3rd. You do not need to be a Gunnison County resident, and you may submit more than one comment. 

Please take a moment to express your concerns, and send comments to planning@gunnisoncounty.org.

Crystal is one of a kind. Let us ensure it remains that way.