For years, residents of Ouray County have pointed to Ridgway as the inevitable place for growth to happen.

Unlike Ouray, boxed in by the canyon walls, and unlike the unincorporated county, where zoning rules and limited infrastructure leave fewer options for development, the town seemed to be the most logical place for substantial growth to happen.

The last two years have seen those predictions come to fruition, and forced the town to grapple with the rush of development and what comes next. There...