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Last month, Gunnison County Commissioners approved the sketch plan for a large expansion at Harmels on the Taylor. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Just seven miles northeast of Almont, Harmels on the Taylor is a historic ranch resort that is surrounded by national forest. The Taylor River flows nearby and trails zig-zag through the canyon, giving guests easy access to horseback riding, hiking, fly fishing and whitewater rafting. The nearly 150-acre property houses the Bites & Brews restaurant, roughly 40 cabins, corrals and a stable, bunkhouses and a laundry facility. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Harmels has been a family-owned business for more than a century. During the mining boom in the late 1800s, the property served as a midway point for miners traveling between Gunnison and Crested Butte. The Roberts family, which managed the ranch for more than 40 years, made it into a modern resort that exists today. Dave and Terri Reynolds took over in 2021, and shortly after began renovating the property and cabins, and revamped restaurant service. In addition to being marketed as the perfect summer family getaway, Harmels is also now a wedding venue. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n These small-scale changes are only the beginning for the Reynolds. Draft plans for the Harmels expansion include the construction of roughly 30 housing units, 35 RV sites, an upgraded bathroom and laundry facility, new, larger cabins, a shop, an area with storage units and a new wastewater treatment plant that will replace the old septic tanks. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are very excited about our proposed project as we believe it provides a genuine opportunity for the community to address existing infrastructure concerns, existing demands and plan for future growth in an area that is of unique beauty \u2026 Along with many of our neighbors, we look forward to preserving this wonderful area for future generations,\u201d the owners stated in a press release. The Reynolds declined to speak with the Times about the project directly. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The proposal has incited mixed feelings from neighbors in Taylor Canyon and Spring Creek, in Almont and from the cabin owners scattered throughout the canyon. Some residents praised the new owners for pumping new life into the aging ranch resort. Others worried about increased traffic on County Road 742 and 744, impeded wildlife migration corridors and how the expansion could affect the water supply of nearby wells.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While all of the investments the Reynolds family have made to date have been positive for the business, Timothy Heuer said he believed the project could further erode the \u201cnatural environment that is so special to the area.\u201d He owns property on CR 744 (Spring Creek Road), which is directly across the highway from Harmels. Many neighbors viewed the proposal as a ticket to more crowding and congestion in the canyon. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to enjoy this wonderful and magnificent area even though the peace and serenity that was present during my childhood, and even recently, has been lost in many ways due to increased development and use of the land,\u201d Heuer said in a letter to the county. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Because of the size of the proposed Harmels expansion, it is considered a \u201cmajor impact land use change.\u201d This means the draft plans are open to public comment and subject to a three-step review process before any building can begin. A sketch plan is a high-level concept, to be followed by more site-specific engineering, such as traffic studies. By the time a final plan is adopted, the exact size, shape and location of all of the individual projects will have been decided. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n With nearly 50 written comments, in addition to the residents who spoke in person at public hearings in November and January, there is a \u201chigh degree of public interest\u201d in the Harmels expansion compared to other projects, Gunnison County Planning Director Hillary Seminick said during a county commissioner meeting in February. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The board approved Harmels\u2019 sketch plan on Feb. 4. Despite the large volume of public comments, county commissioners believed that many residents\u2019 questions could not be answered this early in the process. More layers of detail have yet to be outlined, and Harmels\u2019 early-stage design plans are still subject to change. The next stage requires the owners to develop an off-road vehicle management plan and draft deed-restrictions for employee housing and traffic and water use studies. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt still leaves a wide, wide opening for public engagement \u2026 The project has enough of the ingredients to move into the phase where the level of detail \u2014 at the time, cost and expense of the applicant \u2014 becomes much deeper and really starts to paint a bigger picture,\u201d said County Commissioner Jonathan Houck.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Since the Reynolds took ownership, the pair has refurbished much of the resort and brought the cabins \u201cback to their original charm,\u201d they stated in a press release shared with both the Gunnison Times and the Crested Butte News. The restaurant has also been completely redone with brand new appliances. Harmels is now turning its attention to accommodating increasing tourist traffic in the canyon, and addressing the housing needs for the area.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe property has received a tremendous facelift and neighbors and guests continue to express appreciation for everything we\u2019ve done \u2026 We want Harmels to be a great place to be, and that includes for our employees,\u201d the press release said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Harmels, listed as a \u201csummer operation\u201d on its website, employs full-time wranglers, fishing guides, hosts, servers, cooks and bartenders, housekeepers and event managers. The business primarily employs college-aged staff from across the United States as well as some from other countries. Some employee housing options are offered, according to the webpage. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As part of the expansion, the family is \u201cworking hard\u201d to add new housing for their employees during the summer and the off-season. The proposal includes the construction of four workforce housing lodges that can accommodate five to six employees each, and the conversion of an existing bunkhouse and lodge for roughly 30 new residential housing units. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Harmels has told the county it is willing to provide housing \u201cnot only for its employees, but also for the workforce housing needs of the community.\u201d Harmels is central to Taylor Park, Spring Creek and Almont, all of which \u201cwill likely require increasing numbers of employees\u201d in the future, according to Jacob With at Law of the Rockies, the applicant\u2019s representative. Visitation to the nearby Taylor Park and Spring Creek reservoirs has increased steadily over years since Cottonwood Pass was fully paved in 2017. The area is a magnet for mountain off-roaders, campers and fishermen during the summer season. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Reynolds said they have noticed a \u201cvery limited\u201d number of RV sites in the canyon that provide fill-service hook-ups, many of which are dated. Because of the topography at Harmels, the Reynolds believed they could build a campground that is difficult to spot from outside of the resort, the press release stated. The proposed RV sites would capture more visitors, along with the addition of roughly eight larger cabins.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n These RV sites would not only serve guests, but provide additional seasonal housing for staff, many of whom work elsewhere during the winter months. Twenty storage units are also proposed to give employees and valley residents another place to store their extra belongings. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some individuals, as well as the Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce, commended all the Reynolds family for all of the changes they have made to the resort since their recent purchase. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe new owners of Harmels on the Taylor have taken a deteriorating and run down resort and, through hard work and the investment of a significant amount of capital, turned it into an attractive recreational asset for the public, Taylor Canyon and Gunnison County,\u201d Pete and Susan Dunda of Almont wrote in a letter submitted to county commissioners and the Gunnison County Planning and Commission.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But in a large series of public comments, a number of neighbors worried about the rising popularity of the area as a mountain biking, camping and fishing destination. This has already increased the volume and speed of the traffic on County Road 742 (Taylor River Road), which winds from the Almont turnoff to Taylor Park, and CR 744. Susan Mendenhall, who owns a family cabin on Spring Creek Road, said she remained concerned about \u201cprecedent setting-impacts\u201d of the project, traffic and noise. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLogic tells me they will be significant,\u201d she wrote.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The road from Spring Creek Campground up to Mosca Campground is narrow with blind curves, and many cars, pickups, RVs and side-by-sides tend to drift to the center at high speeds, wrote part-time residents Greg and Martha Harscher. During peak summer season, Harmels\u2019 new RV sites could equate to 50-70 additional OHVs running up and down Spring Creek Road each day, their letter reads. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCombined with increased ATV, pedestrian and mountain bike traffic, there is an increased likelihood of accidents and people getting hurt,\u201d the Harscher\u2019s letter states. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Others believed the increased density on the property and storage units would impact the quiet and solitude the canyon offers, and the wildlife populations, such as black bear, elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep, that roam through the valley. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis area is unique because it still has the same sense of wilderness for all who come here, including the Harmel\u2019s guests as it has for generations \u2026 Developing Harmels beyond the fishing retreat that it has become, and the quaint \u2018dude ranch\u2019 from the past does not fit the area,\u201d said Lorie Green Bobilya, a third-generation owner of the Foster-Green Canyon. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Reynolds are working with the state and contracted engineers to receive approval for the final designs for a new wastewater treatment plant that will replace aging septic tanks. It is an improvement that is \u201clong overdue and essential to environmental protection in the area,\u201d the pair stated. Substantial engineering both on and offsite will also be required for traffic studies, and determining the final number of RV sites. Once these plans are complete, they will be reviewed by the county and open to another round of public comments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n