On Dec. 13, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 against an access permit for construction of a ìright-inî ingress from Woodmen Road to the proposed Falcon Marketplace shopping center. Commissioners Mark Waller and Dennis Hisey voted in favor of the request, with Sallie Clark, Darryl Glenn and Peggy Littleton opposed.Commissioner Peggy Littleton said she voted against the access permit because there are alternative access points. The proposed access site would have been from Woodmen Road as a right-in only at the southwest corner of the parcel near the existing terminus of the Woodmen Road frontage road.Steve Meier with Hummel Investments LLC submitted the request at the BOCC meeting, and said the marketplace will be anchored by a King Soopers grocery store, with a junior anchor of a University of Colorado Health Facility and a stand-alone urgent care facility. Other potential businesses in the shopping center include Panda Express, PetSmart, Ace Hardware, Starbucks, Arbyís, Firestone and a Kum & Go, Meier said.Meier said his company purchased the property in July 2016, after several failed attempts were made to develop the land. The site poses a few unique challenges to developers, aside from the access points, including the need for drainage structures and a detention pond, he said.ìDevelopment upstream from this property is causing increased run-off,î Meier said. ìThe 2014 Falcon Drainage Basin planning study dictates that this property must have a regional detention pond on it. We are willing to construct the badly-needed detention pond and associated drainage structures that will solve the drainage problem. We are willing to do this very expensive scope of work with our own money until such time as we can be reimbursed by the regional drainage fund.îThe commissioners who voted to deny the access permit said the site already has two ingress/egress sites as follows: from the intersection of Meridian Road and Eastonville Road, where Eastonville will eventually be extended west, and the frontage road north of Woodmen Road.Meier said the right-in access point is paramount to King Soopers’ plans to build at the Falcon Marketplace site, adding that he doubts the corporate offices will approve its grocery store plans without the access point.
