Residents in the Blue Springs Ranch subdivision in Peyton could soon have a shooting range as their new neighbor. On Nov. 7, John Meyers, owner of Coyote Crossing Range LLC, sent a letter to the adjacent property owners informing them of his proposed land use plan.According to his letter, Meyers purchased 127.6 acres, zoned agricultural use, at the end of Log Road. He will be requesting a special use permit from El Paso County to allow a shooting range, including shotgun, rifle and pistol usage. The letter also states, ìFuture plans include a facility for events including safety classes, training and community events.îMeyersí letter also invited community members to attend an open house Nov. 19 to discuss the proposal. Regina Spriggs, a Blue Springs Ranch resident, whose property is abutting Meyersí property, said she received the letter and attended the open house.Meyers laid out his plans for the shooting range at the meeting. The range will be built in sections. ìFor the first section he is going to build, it will have 12 stations, and each station will be able to handle five shooters,î Spriggs said. ìThe second section will have 12 more stations. That means there could possibly be 120 shooters at a time.îThe plans indicate the shooting stations will be about .25 miles from her house, Spriggs said.The range will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday initially, and then open the rest of the week later on, she said. ìI do not mind guns, but I do not want to hear it all day, every weekend.îSpriggs said she and her husband moved to their house 15 years ago, as their retirement home. The apartment on the property supplements their retirement income, and Spriggs said the renters she currently has have indicated they will move if the shooting range is built. Without that income, their lifestyle could drastically change, she said.Valerie Tallent, another resident whose property connects with Meyersí property, said one of the reasons she and her husband moved to the area almost 15 years ago was to get away from everything. ìIt is very quiet out here, and we have always loved it for that,î she said. ìWe have family over a lot in the summer, and we have a covered porch so we can sit out there and have a barbecue. I do not want to hear gunshots going on all the time.îTallent said her family owns guns, and they have nothing against guns. If the shooting range was slated for a more commercialized area, where noise is expected, she would be all for it, she said.Cameron Anderson also owns property adjacent to Meyersí acreage. ìMy concern was the noise and it still is,î he said. ìBut I have a big problem with someone telling me what I can and cannot do with property that I own.îAnderson said it is a difficult decision because he knows the noise will affect him and his neighbors, but he will support the shooting range anyway. He said you have to walk a fine line when you start affecting other people on their property, but he believes the property owners have a right to do with it what they want.Tallent said her animals would also be affected by the gunshots. It would be a detriment to too many other properties and people in the area, she said.In a second letter sent to nearby residents Nov. 8, Meyers stated he will be following guidelines from the National Rifle Association and the National Sporting Clay Association. ìWe have consulted with knowledgeable professionals regarding course layout and design for maximum safety,î the letter states.In the latter, Meyers said he plans to hold additional meetings with neighbors. Spriggs said to date, no other meetings have been scheduled or held.In a separate interview with The New Falcon Herald, Meyers said he has not applied to the county as of yet to obtain the special use permit. ìAt this point, it is still completely up in the air,î he said. ìI chose that location because there is a lot of future growth out that way, and it seemed like a community where it would fit in. But there are so many variables and lots and lots of steps to go through.î
