Eagle County commissioners reviewed a preliminary draft zoning map for the county’s comprehensive land use code rewrite during back-to-back work sessions on June 16 and June 22, 2026 — a multi-year project that will reshape development rules for all unincorporated areas including Edwards, Eagle Vail, Beaver Creek, and El Jebel.
Consultant Todd Messinger walked commissioners through the draft map at both sessions, noting that the vast majority of the county would carry a “backcountry” designation covering federal and state land. The most contested areas involve small corridors near Edwards and Eagle Vail where the draft proposes mixed-use zoning to allow commercial uses alongside residential density.
Messinger said the Eagle Vail Highway 6 corridor presents a particular challenge: the area includes auto-service businesses such as a tire shop that the county needs but that conflict with a riverfront mixed-use vision. He said land assembly would likely be required before any scaled redevelopment could occur, and the planning team left the door open on whether to split the corridor into separate highway and riverfront designations.
“If we had to decide right now, I think we’re on target with mixed-use,” said Commissioner Tom Boyd.
Attorney Beth Oliver, who is overseeing the project, said the team has at least six additional public sessions scheduled to review the map before adoption, which is expected in October. The map is available for public review at the county’s online GIS portal.
An Edwards resident raised concerns at the June 16 meeting about the geographic composition of the 18-member advisory committee guiding the rewrite. The resident, Joanna Kerwin, said 12 of the 18 members — 66 percent — do not live in unincorporated Eagle County, the area directly affected by the regulations. She asked commissioners to consider a community outreach “road show” to metro districts and homeowners associations.
“Not everyone can attend weekday county meetings in Eagle, and many residents do not realize how significant these code changes could affect their property rights and communities,” Kerwin said.
County Manager Jeff Shroll said a land use discussion was already scheduled for that afternoon and acknowledged Kerwin’s earlier comments.
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At the June 23 regular meeting, two Eagle residents raised opposition to a proposed county pickleball court facility near their homes, describing concerns about noise levels and the lack of community input in the planning process so far.
One resident said she counted 66 homes that would fall within the noise impact zone of the proposed courts and cited research showing pickleball noise reaches 70 decibels at 100 feet. She presented guidelines from the American Planning Association, USA Pickleball Association, and the Acoustical Society of America recommending setbacks of 500 to 600 feet from residential areas.
A second speaker said the project appeared to benefit a narrow group of users and suggested the county consider a broader community facility — pointing to Gypsum’s community center as a model — rather than single-sport courts.
Deputy County Manager Regina O’Brien confirmed that no decision has been made and that a formal public process, including neighbor notification, would occur if the project moves to the land use application stage.
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At its June 16 meeting, the board approved a consent agenda covering four routine items including a lease amendment with the federal General Services Administration updating TSA language at Eagle County Regional Airport, an $80,000 purchase of Colorado Child Care Assistance Program funds from Lake County, an extension of the county’s on-call construction services contract with Macallister Construction, and the May 2026 payment report totaling approximately $15.98 million.
The board also approved a Temporary Assistance to Needy Families contract with the state Department of Human Services. Human Services staff member Michelle Dibos noted the contract carries a $0 allocation at signing because the state calculates final funding amounts through a closeout process that runs through August and September.
Commissioners additionally extended the Crown Mountain Park recreation district’s deadline to complete a required 75-space parking lot expansion to November 25, 2026. Attorney Ben Morris, presenting in place of Senior Planner Troy Hangen, said the district had completed 52 of the 75 spaces as of last fall but missed the original six-month deadline.
Acting as the Eagle County Housing and Development Authority, commissioners approved a $48,875 agreement with West Mountain Regional Health Alliance to continue street outreach services for unsheltered residents. Homeless Services Manager Monica Brutout said the funding flows through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and can be spent through March 31, 2027.
The board also celebrated the ribbon cutting of CMC Building 3 — 158 Miller Ranch Road Apartments — a 30-unit workforce housing project in Edwards developed in partnership with Colorado Mountain College featuring 18 two-bedroom and 12 studio apartments.
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At the June 22 work session held in El Jebel, the board received an annual update from the Roaring Fork Conservancy. Water Quality Program Manager Chad Rudow and staff member Heather outlined ongoing monitoring of didymo algae and anchor ice on the Lower Fryingpan River, a multi-county drought resilience biochar study now entering its second year, and an education program pairing Basalt and Aurora students as watershed pen pals.
Open Space and Natural Resource Manager Callie Rand, appearing remotely, introduced the presentation and noted continued gratitude for county funding that allows the conservancy to leverage additional grants from the Colorado River District.
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At the June 23 meeting, the board approved a 12-item consent agenda that included a memorandum of understanding with Pitkin County and Aspen Valley Land Trust to share management costs equally for the 4,250-acre Three Meadows Ranch, an intergovernmental agreement to relocate the Gypsum recycling drop-off site to county maintenance property for better oversight, and state grant amendments supporting the Nurse Family Partnership ($548,851), Family Connects newborn home-visit program ($222,999), and immunization outreach ($15,321).
Commissioners also approved a framework agreement for a new common-use passenger processing system at Eagle County Regional Airport and a contract to replace the airport terminal’s 1986-era boilers with high-efficiency units.
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