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BAYFIELD DISTRICT LAND USE PLAN BAYFIELD DISTRICT LAND USE PLAN Page 1
July 15, 1997
BAYFIELD DISTRICT
LAND USE PLAN
I.
PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
La Plata County, like many other Southwestern Colorado communities, has been experiencing
considerable growth in recent years. Population growth rates of over 3% per year have been recorded
between 1992 and 1996. Until the adoption of this plan, development proposals within the Bayfield
District were considered on a case by case basis. The case by case review did not provide an
opportunity for citizens, the Planning Commission, and County Commissioners to consider the
cumulative impacts that individual projects could have on the County. This land use plan was prepared
in order to provide the citizens and County with a framework for evaluating development proposals with
the perspective of how the project relates to the Planning District and County as a whole. This plan is
intended to provide citizens a picture or vision of what the Bayfield District will look like in the future.
This plan will also provide

the citizens and County the opportunity to begin to shape future development
within the Bayfield District to insure that it is compatible with the current lifestyles, businesses, homes,
and natural features. The Plan is intended to provide citizens with more predictability about what kinds
of communities, commercial developments, recreational areas, residential areas, and agricultural areas
may

exist in the future within the District.
This Plan was created under the premise that it will provide landowners with general guidance and
positive incentives for developing their property consistent with the goals & objectives of the plan.
Development proposals submitted to the County for review by the La Plata County Planning
Commission will be reviewed for conformance with this plans goals, objectives, and Land Use
Classification Map, which were developed by the Districts residents. This is not to say that the plan
cannot be changed. However, it is important that changes to the plan be considered outside the context
of the details of a specific project. Therefore, if a specific application is not in conformance with the
Plan, the application should be preceded by a plan amendment to bring it into conformity. It is the
policy of the Planning Commission that projects that are not in conformance with the Land Use
Classification Map will be recommended for denial.
Plan amendments will be reviewed and considered for approval by the Planning Commission at a public
hearing prior to consideration of the specific project by the Planning Commission. Issues to be
considered when reviewing plan amendments include:
Ø

Road Capacities
Ø

Water and Sewer Availability
Ø

Visual Impacts
Ø

Wildlife Impacts
Ø

Conformance with Goals / Objectives /
Vision of Plan BAYFIELD DISTRICT LAND USE PLAN Page 2
July 15, 1997
2.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BAYFIELD DISTRICT
The Bayfield Planning District encompasses approximately 77,976 acres in the Pine River Valley,
extending west to the edge of the Florida Mesa and east to the Archuleta County line. The Town of
Bayfield and the unicorporated area of Gem Village are roughly in the center of the planning area. Due
to its scenic character, small town feel, and affordability, the Town of Bayfield is a rapidly growing
community. Bayfield has a comprehensive plan and land use permitting system. The Town will
inevitably expand its boundaries through annexation.
The rural areas surrounding Bayfield vary greatly, from the riparian area of the Pine River Valley floor
and its irrigated pasturelands, to mesas, gamble oak, ponderosa pine, pinion pine, juniper forested
bottomlands, and hillsides. The Pine River Irrigation District provides agricultural water to much of the
area. Historically, the district was almost entirely a ranching/agricultural area. The bottomlands
elevation is about 7,000ft, with a growing season suited to hay production. Ranchers wintered livestock
in the south of the district and used public land leases for summer pasture expansion. In recent years,
some ranches have continued to operate in this manner, but there is a small increasing shift towards
alternative agricultural operations. A hog farm produces quality non-chemical pork for local markets,
there are ostrich and emu farmers, sheep farmers, hydroponic vegetable producers, and several
registered horse breeders.
In the midst of this shift in agricultural production, the beauty of the District has drawn many non-
agricultural residents who desire to live in a rural setting. There is one very large residential subdivision,
Forest Lakes, which was originally developed to appeal to summer vacation home purchasers, but is
now reaching maturity as a year round residential community. Several other smaller subdivisions exist,
and numerous small lots created through the minor exempt subdivision process have created small
pockets of homesites surrounded by larger, agricultural parcels.
Vision: Bayfield Planning District of the Future
The citizens of the rural areas surrounding Bayfield in La Plata County have a strong sense of place and
history, and strongly value the Pine River Valley and scenic areas in which we live. We want to maintain
a rural community that includes a diversity of neighbors. As we enter the 21st century we will work
together to:
Preserve the beautiful natural setting, wildlife, and resources while maintaining a sound economic
base that emphasizes encouraging and restoring our agricultural foundation;
Respect the individual rights of people;
Manage growth in a way that ensures the character of the area, residents safety, and equity for
citizens.
Overview of Key Issues:
Over sixty residents of the Bayfield Planning District participated in a two years process developing this
plan. Clearly, these sixty people, about twenty of whom participated in nearly all of the discussions, BAYFIELD DISTRICT LAND USE PLAN Page 3
July 15, 1997
could not completely represent the views of the residents of the Bayfield area. However, this core
group definitely did represent a cross section of the views, and had as its number one priority
developing a plan that would be desired and accepted by the broader community. The group made
every attempt to include individuals whose views differed. A survey was published in the Pine River
Times soliciting citizen views. While the district residents differ on how best to achieve the goals of the
plan, the citizens who responded to the survey strongly support a comprehensive land use plan for the
area to guide inevitable growth and overwhelmingly desire to see the rural character of the district
maintained.
The following is a summary of major issues and strengths identified in the Bayfield Planning District:
Issues:
Preserving Our Rural Lifestyle
Many discussions of this group have centered around the characteristics of a rural way of life.
Through the Goals and Objectives created by the Bayfield District Planning Group, a rural lifestyle
may be defined by some of the Districts natural features. The small town atmosphere where
neighbors know and respect each other, the irrigated farmlands, low density in the countryside,
lack of commercial development, little traffic, and the beauty of the Pine River Valley all provide a
view of what is meant by a rural lifestyle. The Bayfield District Planning Group believes that the
rural atmosphere is a defining feature of the area and new development should work to promote
this atmosphere. This does not mean that a rural lifestyle is incompatible with development; it
simply means that development should take care to retain the features that define rural life. Some
proposed ways that may accomplish the preservation of rural lifestyle discussed by the Bayfield
District Planning Group include clustering new development on less productive agricultural lands,
encouraging conservation easements with positive tax incentives, and locating structures to
preserve open meadows, fields, rangeland, or floodplains.

Preserving Riparian Areas and the Riverfront
Riparian habitat is prominent throughout the Bayfield Planning District. Many areas, including the
Pine River Valley, have been identified as habitat for mule deer, elk, and other wildlife. The
discussions of the Bayfield Planning District Group have noted that scattered development across
the District may isolate populations of wildlife and block their migration routes. The Bayfield
District Planning Group encourages new development to be created in a manner that preserves
wildlife habitat and corridors. Additionally, discussions have centered around the safety problems
posed by Highway 160's crossing of wildlife migration corridors. The Bayfield District Planning
Group supports working with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the
County to develop deer and elk crossing underpasses along Hwy160.
The Pine (Los Piños) riverfront has been identified as an important asset to the