Some residents of Black Forest are concerned over proposed changes to Flying Horse North. They say the changes will increase the density of the area and be in violation of the El Paso County Master Plan.Preliminary plans approved by the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners for the 1,147-acre subdivision called for 283 lots with a minimum size of 2.5 acres per lot. The final plat approval for filing 1 of Flying Horse consisted of 80 lots, with 203 lots for development under the original preliminary plan. The subdivision is located east of Highway 83, south of Hodgen Road and west of Black Forest Road.However, the developers of Flying Horse North recently submitted a sketch plan to the county that calls for a commercial plot, including a hotel site, at the corner of Black Forest and Hodgen roads. They also requested a reduction in the size of the remaining lots. If the plans are approved, the remaining property could be subdivided into 1,097 to 1,714 lots, according to the sketch plan filed with the county. In addition to housing, the plans include 17.33 acres for commercial and golf, 17.76 acres for a hotel complex and 6.5 acres for club use.In an email, Terry Stokka of Friends of the Black Forest stated that the new proposal ìclearly violates the county master planî and would result in five to eight times as many homes, which means more traffic and congestion. Stokka is chairman of the Black Forest Water and Wells Committee, chairman of the Black Forest Land Use Committee and treasurer of Friends of Black Forest. He said this revised plan would translate into lots varying in size from 2.5 acres to one-fifth of an acre. Stokka also expressed concern about the source of water and sewer for the proposed lots.The master plan discusses various ìplace typesî for development. Place types are the design intent and key planning and design parameters related to how each place will be developed ó with a desirable mix of land uses. According to Pg. 24 of the master plan, ìThe Large-Lot Residential place type consists of residential development and acts as the transition between place types. Development in this place type typically consists of single-family homes occupying lots of 2.5 acres or more and are generally large and dispersed throughout the area to preserve a rural aesthetic.î The Black Forest/North Central Area is specifically discussed on Pg. 57, where it states, ìThe County should maintain existing and expand the Large-Lot Residential place type in this area in a development pattern that matches the existing character of the developed Black Forest community.îNina Ruiz of the El Paso County Planning and Community Development Department said in an email that the developer has not yet provided exact lot sizes but did provide estimates, and many of the lots will be less than 2.5 acres. She said typically the county requires central water and sewer service for lots smaller than 2.5 acres; the developer is considering using Cherokee Metropolitan District for central water and sewer.Cherokee is in the process of evaluating the possibility of providing water and sewer service for Flying Horse North, said Amy Lathen, Cherokee’s general manager. That process includes an assessment of available resources and sustainability. Lathen said no conclusive information could be released until after the evaluation is completed.As for compliance with the county’s master plan, Ruiz said, ìStaff anticipates that they (the developers) will comply with some portions while they will not comply with others. The BOCC will have to weigh the master plan as a whole to determine if the proposal is generally compatible with the surrounding area and generally in conformance with the master plan.î She also stated that at some time in the future the hotel area will have to be rezoned.ìThe plan does include a three-story, 200-room (plus or minus) hotel,î said Phil Stuepfert, principal and senior project manager with HR Green, a land development company, in an email. He said it is early in the process, and the exact lot sizes have not been determined. Most of the change is east of the existing golf course but some changes occur within the golf course. He said he hopes to have neighborhood meetings at the end of January or the first part of February.The sketch plan submitted to the county shows the hotel is in the golf course area.Before final plat approval is granted, the developer will have to go through a multi-step process with most of the steps requiring a public hearing, so the residents of Black Forest will have several opportunities to voice their opinions.
