Midland Avenue Design Guidelines

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Midland Ave Design Guidelines Project

Following the completion of the Midland Avenue Streetscape project, Town Planning Staff recognized the need for Design Guidelines to manage future development and maintain the unique character of Basalt as growth continues up the Roaring Fork Valley.


What are Design Guidelines?

Design guidelines are a proactive planning tool that provide specific criteria for maintaining the character of a town. In Basalt’s case, design guidelines are meant to ensure consistency and compatibility with the historic nature of downtown when a new property is built or an existing one is altered. A goal in the 2020 Basalt Master Plan is to maintain Basalt’s small-town character by promoting human-scale buildings that relate to the current context. One way of doing this is with policies and protections such as design guidelines that preserve a sense of place in historic downtown and support economic vitality.

Design guidelines require updates to the Municipal Code and will act as a zoning overlay, focusing on elements that make Basalt distinct. Initially, they will apply to the Midland Avenue Commercial Business District (Zone C-2 Downtown Business District).

The purpose and function of the guidelines are as a preservation tool, to protect the unique character and feel of Basalt, to provide consistency and predictability with development and redevelopment, and as a resource to property owners, designers and the public when making decisions about the built environment on Midland Avenue.


Who is GMSHAY?

GMSHAY was selected by the Town of Basalt, with unanimous approval by City Council on July 8th.

Founded in 1956 by Bob Gunn and Eric Meyerhoff in Savannah, Georgia, Gunn & Meyerhoff Architects evolved into Gunn Meyerhoff Shay with the addition of Patrick Shay in 1996, and rebranded as GMSHAY in 2018. In Fall 2023, Jessica Moeslein and Patrick Shay opened GMSHAY’s second studio in Denver. With nearly 70 years in Savannah, GMSHAY brings unmatched expertise in navigating the city’s most stringent historic design standards—the Savannah Historic District, where our work is recognized as a model of rigorous preservation.

This expertise uniquely positions us to assist the Town of Basalt in developing thoughtful, locally tailored Design Guidelines. We understand what makes a community feel “charming” and are prepared to recommend effective updates to the Municipal Code, including Design Overlay language that ensures future growth respects Basalt’s past.


Community Engagement

A central component of the Midland Avenue Design Guidelines project is community engagement. The Town of Basalt wants to hear directly from business owners and residents about what makes Midland Avenue special—what makes you proud, what draws you to spend time here, and what makes you want to stay.

To guide this process, the Town selected GMSHAY to lead community surveys and meetings, and to collaborate with the Planning & Zoning Commission and Town Council in shaping Design Guidelines that preserve and strengthen Basalt’s unique character.

We look forward to engaging with the community and serving as your boots-on-the-ground team.

Let’s get started! Please fill out our survey and add your thoughts and photos to the ideas tab below.

Midland Ave Design Guidelines Project

Following the completion of the Midland Avenue Streetscape project, Town Planning Staff recognized the need for Design Guidelines to manage future development and maintain the unique character of Basalt as growth continues up the Roaring Fork Valley.


What are Design Guidelines?

Design guidelines are a proactive planning tool that provide specific criteria for maintaining the character of a town. In Basalt’s case, design guidelines are meant to ensure consistency and compatibility with the historic nature of downtown when a new property is built or an existing one is altered. A goal in the 2020 Basalt Master Plan is to maintain Basalt’s small-town character by promoting human-scale buildings that relate to the current context. One way of doing this is with policies and protections such as design guidelines that preserve a sense of place in historic downtown and support economic vitality.

Design guidelines require updates to the Municipal Code and will act as a zoning overlay, focusing on elements that make Basalt distinct. Initially, they will apply to the Midland Avenue Commercial Business District (Zone C-2 Downtown Business District).

The purpose and function of the guidelines are as a preservation tool, to protect the unique character and feel of Basalt, to provide consistency and predictability with development and redevelopment, and as a resource to property owners, designers and the public when making decisions about the built environment on Midland Avenue.


Who is GMSHAY?

GMSHAY was selected by the Town of Basalt, with unanimous approval by City Council on July 8th.

Founded in 1956 by Bob Gunn and Eric Meyerhoff in Savannah, Georgia, Gunn & Meyerhoff Architects evolved into Gunn Meyerhoff Shay with the addition of Patrick Shay in 1996, and rebranded as GMSHAY in 2018. In Fall 2023, Jessica Moeslein and Patrick Shay opened GMSHAY’s second studio in Denver. With nearly 70 years in Savannah, GMSHAY brings unmatched expertise in navigating the city’s most stringent historic design standards—the Savannah Historic District, where our work is recognized as a model of rigorous preservation.

This expertise uniquely positions us to assist the Town of Basalt in developing thoughtful, locally tailored Design Guidelines. We understand what makes a community feel “charming” and are prepared to recommend effective updates to the Municipal Code, including Design Overlay language that ensures future growth respects Basalt’s past.


Community Engagement

A central component of the Midland Avenue Design Guidelines project is community engagement. The Town of Basalt wants to hear directly from business owners and residents about what makes Midland Avenue special—what makes you proud, what draws you to spend time here, and what makes you want to stay.

To guide this process, the Town selected GMSHAY to lead community surveys and meetings, and to collaborate with the Planning & Zoning Commission and Town Council in shaping Design Guidelines that preserve and strengthen Basalt’s unique character.

We look forward to engaging with the community and serving as your boots-on-the-ground team.

Let’s get started! Please fill out our survey and add your thoughts and photos to the ideas tab below.

Page last updated: 09 Sep 2025, 12:31 AM