Terry Schuyler thinks about upcoming developments in Ridgway, and imagines what they could look like.

He envisions dozens of cars idling on a cold morning in January, the exhaust hanging in the air alongside the Uncompahgre River, and the town’s carbon footprint expanding as the population increases.

But he also sees potential: for solar power on new roofs and electric vehicle chargers in new driveways, for homes built without natural gas and with high-efficiency appliances, and for a community ...