{"id":23055,"date":"2025-03-20T22:08:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T04:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/planning-and-zoning-denies-application-for-glamping-development-outside-mancos\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:24:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:24:33","slug":"planning-and-zoning-denies-application-for-glamping-development-outside-mancos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/planning-and-zoning-denies-application-for-glamping-development-outside-mancos\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning and Zoning denies application for glamping development outside Mancos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Community
Community members lined up at the Montezuma County Planning and Zoning meeting on March 13. Not one person spoke in favor of the proposed glamping development outside Mancos. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The monthly Montezuma County Planning and Zoning meeting was standing room only on March 13, as community members crowded into the hearing for a proposed high-end glamping development outside Mancos.<\/p>\n

More than 80 community members showed up, easily filling the seats and perimeter of the upstairs board room at 109 W. Main St.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the board passed a motion to recommend the Board of County Commissioners deny the application, which means \u201cthe application doesn\u2019t automatically move forward,\u201d said Planning Director Don Haley.<\/p>\n

The motion carried 3-2. Most everyone in the room cheered.<\/p>\n

Vice Chair Haley Leonard-Saunders, Jason Armstrong and Mike Lynch voted in favor of recommending the board deny the application. Mike Doyle and Ted Neergaard voted against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will have to see if they (Under Canvas Inc.) can petition the BOCC to hold a public hearing,\u201d Haley said in an email.<\/p>\n

Before the meeting, word had gotten out about Under Canvas\u2019 application to set up camp on hundreds of acres in Mancos.<\/p>\n

More than 530 people signed a petition<\/a> against the development, and an online flyer encouraged people to attend and \u201cProtect Mancos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Under Canvas team of representative Jamie Schmitt, attorney Kim Perdue, traffic specialists and Wildfire Mitigation specialist Steve Underwood presented the application.<\/p>\n

Schmitt said that though the property at 12695 Road 40 consists of 346 acres, the camp features would be concentrated on just 4.46 acres, 1.16% of total acreage.<\/p>\n

Come winter, tents would be taken down and stored, and nobody would be on-site. Schmitt called the development \u201clow impact by nature,\u201d as there\u2019s \u201clittle to no permanent structures, hard scaping or landscaping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, she said, they \u201cpursue local staffing,\u201d employing up 90 seasonal staff and three full-time positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a day downtown (Mancos) talking to business owners and individuals, and most of it was well received,\u201d she said, which made attendees at the meeting laugh.<\/p>\n

Schmitt said Under Canvas \u201cprovides a camping experience to visitors, typically from big cities, already coming to the national parks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Water would come from Montezuma Water Co., and each of the 75 tents would use an estimated 100 gallons a day, or 7,500 total gallons a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat might seem like a lot, but the Montezuma Water Company\u2019s capacity is 4 million gallons per day and that\u2019s expanding to 6 million,\u201d the attorney said. \u201cWe don\u2019t foresee any shortage or problems with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s ours,\u201d someone in the crowd shouted.<\/p>\n

The Under Canvas team announced plans to enhance safety and reduce fire hazards in the area. They would add turn deceleration lanes at the intersection of Road 40 and Colorado Highway 184, and remove the flammable understory on the property.<\/p>\n

Before public comment, the planning and zoning board asked the Under Canvas team a few questions.<\/p>\n

Facing questions from board member Mike Doyle, Schmitt said they had data to back up their estimate of 100 gallons of water per day for a family of four. She also responded that for the six-month season, roughly 30 people would be working on-site at any given time.<\/p>\n

The team underscored that the mixed-use zoning would include 200 acres for \u201copen space or in ag production with grazing permits we will offer,\u201d the attorney said. A small section would be \u201ca commercial operation, a recreation campground, intended to remain in character with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, the property is zoned ag-residential. Under Canvas applied for a high impact\/special use permit and general planned unit development on it.<\/p>\n

\"A
A notice posted at 12695 Road 40 in Mancos where Under Canvas Inc. proposed development of a 75 unit high end glamping development. (Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Board member Mike Lynch addressed the proposal, and said \u201cit raises some of the issues about our land use code that are not specific, not very detailed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd because it\u2019s not very detailed,\u201d Lynch went on, \u201cit allows people to make assumptions about how it can be put together and you end up with a commercial operation in an ag area.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this comment, the crowd cheered in approval.<\/p>\n

According to the county land use code, a general planned unit development \u201cis a tool to provide flexibility regarding site and design features.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis PUD is applicable to small-scale mixed uses, such as business and residential combinations,\u201d said Lynch.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommissioner (Gerald) Koppenhafer is on record in a meeting saying that the general PUD was never designed to be used in this way,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cIt was designed for an ag operation where the resident wanted to make some extra money with a small business out of their home. \u2026 We\u2019re talking small scale, not large scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

In regards to high impact permits, Lynch said it\u2019s intended for commercial or industrial developments. Special use permits, he said, are for \u201cspecial\u201d events only.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a Woodstock, a special event,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cA one-time-of-year event. Not a continuous special-use deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, \u201cI contend this is not properly submitted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of issues with our land use code that need to be worked out so this doesn\u2019t happen anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Public
Public comment at the Planning and Zoning meeting lasted well over an hour on March 13 as speakers spoke out against a proposed glamping development in Mancos off Road 40. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Public comment<\/div>\n

The time for public comment, usually set at three minutes per person, was limited to two because of how many community members wanted to speak. Still, public comment lasted more than an hour.<\/p>\n

Commenters raised concerns such as fire danger, water use, noise and light pollution, traffic and stress and first responders. Several argued that the camp, with its own restaurant, would compete with existing campgrounds and accommodations in Montezuma County.<\/p>\n

Not one person spoke in favor of the development.<\/p>\n

One neighbor, who could have tents \u201cless than 10 yards from my back fence,\u201d reached out to someone who lived next to the Under Canvas development near the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder Canvas has a track record of turning peaceful and natural spaces into carnivals of noise,\u201d he read. \u201cThe immersive experience they offer is a joke, a disturbing blend of late night parties, rowdy campers and constant droning of vehicles, far from offering peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sasha Cucci, co-owner of Moondog Caf\u00e9 in Mancos, said accepting such a proposal sets a dangerous precedent that could attract other billion-dollar companies to the valley.<\/p>\n

\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added, \u201cWe need economic growth, but to me this isn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A resident of Mancos for eight short days but camper for 70 years said, \u201cThe city people, which is their target market, come in, and their idea of camping is we don\u2019t ever have a fire, lets have the biggest damn fire we can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re from New York, they might even try to tip a cow,\u201d another person said. \u201cThat\u2019s really all I have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another community member said they\u2019d rather see a subdivision go in \u201cwith the highest density allowed by county, and it wouldn\u2019t be as impactful as having 75 new people every two days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know, and we don\u2019t want to know, the kind of people who pay hundreds of dollars a night to stay in a tent,\u201d someone said.<\/p>\n

An ambassador from the Wildfire Adapted Partnership questioned the long-term fire mitigation plans, since gamble oak \u201cjust keeps coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

A self-described introvert said, \u201cI have never had contact with a community that so loves its community, that so loves Montezuma County. \u2026 \u201cAnd not to be rude, but Mancos was mispronounced by people who want to come in here and change the whole character.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"It
It was standing room only at the March 13 Planning and Zoning meeting. More than 80 community members came out for the public hearing of a proposed high end glamping development in Mancos. (Cameryn Cass\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Back to the board<\/div>\n

After public comment, the board asked Under Canvas to address some of the public\u2019s concerns, in addition to a few follow-up questions of their own.<\/p>\n

The traffic specialist said their scope only concerned the intersection of Colorado Highway 184 and Road 40, not Road 40 itself, which is unpaved and would be heavily trafficked.<\/p>\n

The attorney said they\u2019d be happy to talk about maintenance and do their part to keep up Road 40.<\/p>\n

She added that they spoke with the Cortez and Mancos Fire Protection Districts about emergency services. Mancos Fire replied and said they were volunteers and quite busy.<\/p>\n

Schmitt added that Under Canvas qualifies for dark sky approval.<\/p>\n

John Hernandez, the chair of the Planning and Zoning Board who didn\u2019t vote that evening, said that it simply, \u201cdoesn\u2019t fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Board member Doyle said that he wasn\u2019t surprised there were no positives from the crowd and said that one potential positive is tax revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a reason we only have two deputies on duty,\u201d he said. \u201cAt some point, we do need revenue here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doyle said that Kinder Morgan Inc. is backing out and \u201cthe burden on this county isn\u2019t going to get easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, half the county\u2019s property tax revenue comes from oil and gas, but property tax accounts for only 16% of total county revenue. Therefore, about 9% of the county\u2019s total revenue comes from Kinder Morgan.<\/p>\n

The proposal ultimately failed planning and zoning since it wasn\u2019t in conformity with the land use code and \u201cshall possibly generate significant adverse impact on other property in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chairman Hernandez told Under Canvas speak with Planning Director Haley about next steps, and the hearing ended at nearly 10 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018We don\u2019t want to know the kind of people who pay hundreds of dollars a night to stay in a tent,\u2019 community member says <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-23055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23055"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77958,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23055\/revisions\/77958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23055"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=23055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}