Garfield County commissioners Monday approved substantial modifications to the Gianinetti Community Event Center’s land use change permit, removing the limitation on the number of events the center near Carbondale can hold each year.

The center’s application originally proposed increasing the center’s maximum capacity from 200 to 273 people, adding potential for bigger events such as concerts of up to 1,000 people, eliminating the center’s limitation of 30 events per year and increasing hours of operations, allowing evening events until 11 p.m., vendor access to 1 a.m., with quiet time limitations remaining at 10 p.m.

“ With the concerts we did about 500 people in 2021 and then in 2022 only about 380,” said Tanner Gianinetti, who represented the Gianinetti family at the public hearing Monday. “Just looking at the footprint, you could easily have 1000 people standing (outside) without being detrimental to the quality of the show or making it feel like it was tight and stuffy.”

County commissioners approved the modification to the land use change permit for the center, Spring Creeks Ranch, 644 Cowen Drive, Carbondale, subject to a few conditions during the public hearing Monday. The maximum size of events increased from 200 to 273 people, although the center must complete a supplemental traffic study before hosting an event over 200 people. 

Vendor activity is limited to midnight and 7 a.m. except for major weekend events. The center may not play amplified music past 10 p.m. and guest departure from the venue is initiated at 11 p.m.

Several neighboring residents of the Gianinetti Community Event Center at the public hearing Monday expressed concern about living near a concert venue, while others testified to how well the center is managed. 

“The event space at the ranch must have a cap on the number of events per year,” Carbondale resident Adam Hutchison said. “An unlimited amount is unrealistic and completely thoughtless to how it will actually affect the neighborhood.”

“I think allowing up to a thousand participants is absurd and unsustainable to the land in our community,” he later added. “Similar to other neighbors, we don’t want to live right next to a concert venue and that needs to be clarified.

The event center was previously limited to 30 events per year, but may now host up to 52 events larger than 200 people annually. Events smaller than 200 people are no longer restricted in number. 

“ Having 365 events does not give the neighbors any indication or guarantee that there’s going to be a rest,” Jannette Whitcomb, Carbondale resident and county employee, said. “Now, Tanner has wonderfully acknowledged that there’s a limit to what they can put on and the infrastructure. And I have friends that have been on your many letters of support. I have been to some of those events. It’s managed well, but we need a break is what I want to acknowledge.”

The modification did not approve larger events of up to 1,000 people. To host such events, the Gianinetti Community Event Center must acquire separate land use change permitting, including an assessment of off-site traffic impacts, provisions for secondary access, traffic control and coordination and safety, security and parking issues with the town of Carbondale, the Garfield County Sheriff and Carbondale Rural Fire Protection District.

“If there’s ever any complaints or any issues again, myself and the family, please contact us and let us know,” Gianinetti said in response to the Carbondale residents who spoke at the hearing. “If I don’t know that there’s a problem, I assume that everything’s going well. We’re very open door policy. I love getting feedback because that’s the way we continue to curate the system and make things more efficient and do better for the community.”

Although the land use change permit modifications were approved with conditions, the Gianinetti Community Event Center must seek approval from the state  to change its public water system classification before implementing many of the changes, which could take several months. 

“ Whenever something like this is proposed, there’s always going to be some opposition,” Commissioner Mike Samson said. “The opposition I’m hearing is not strenuous…and I’m very pleased with you Tanner and the Gianinetti family. The way you have run that facility since I’ve been here for 16 years, which is about the time it’s been, it’s been, it’s been done very well. You’re a great asset to Garfield County and the town of Carbondale and you and your family have done a very good job and you offer a service that’s needed.