The effort to build a new, expanded medical facility in Telluride took a huge leap forward on May 17 when the San Miguel County Board of County Commissioners gave preliminary approval for Genesee Partners’ Society Turn Development Plan. Society Turn is a mixed use project located between Telluride and Mountain Village that includes a donated parcel of land where Telluride Regional Medical Center can build a new facility.

The unanimous support for the plan’s concept that the commissioners expressed at the May 17 meeting was the fourth step in a five-step approval process to allow the development to move forward.

“We’ve been working so hard for many years to make this happen, so we felt a huge sigh of relief after the meeting” said Chris Chaffin on behalf of the Telluride Hospital District Board of Directors. “Everyone knows that we have outgrown our current medical center. We still have some hurdles to get through and there’s still plenty of work ahead, but it’s exciting to know that we now have a real path to getting to a new medical facility in Telluride.”

Chaffin expects the project will receive final approval from the Board of County Commissioners by the end of this year. Genesee Properties should have the necessary agreements and approvals to be able to begin construction next spring, and he envisions a groundbreaking for the new TRMC facility in early 2025.