Editor’s note: Kathy Hare sat down with Donald Moe of Makar Properties LLC and Shannon Cook and Kim Mutchler, representatives of the Banning Lewis Ranch Management Company LLC, in Newport Beach, Calif. on Aug. 15. Makar purchased Capital Pacific Holding’s interest in the Banning Lewis Ranch. Here is the latest in-person scoop on Banning Lewis.Makar Properties LLC, after purchasing Capital Pacific Holding’s interest in the Banning Lewis Ranch, formed the Banning Lewis Ranch Management Company LLC, which is in the process of developing a master plan for the 23,000-acre Banning Lewis Ranch property, just south of Falcon. The plan differs from Capital Pacific’s original plan developed in 1988.Donald Moe, the senior vice president of marketing and development for the ranch, said the plans have changed “because the world has changed since then and so has the real estate market.” Moe said neither maximum lot sizes nor total population figures have been determined for the development.Makar’s goal is to develop the ranch in stages, allowing the management company to create different villages based on the lifestyles of prospective buyers, Moe said. By completion, plans are for a balanced development that includes commercial, residential, medical and retail. Moe said build out of the entire project could take 30 to 40 years.The Banning Lewis management company wants Village I, now being called Inaugural Village, to set the tone for the entire development. After polling 300 residents living in eastern Colorado Springs, Moe found that hiking is a high priority for people in the Pikes Peak region. Therefore, trails are planned throughout the ranch to connect villages that will link with the Rock Island Trail.Kim Mutchler, a representative of the Banning Lewis management company, said a unique aspect of this development is that the infrastructure will be in place before the homes are built. Banning Lewis Parkway, currently being constructed from Woodmen Road to Dublin Boulevard, will be extended further south before new areas are developed, she said. In addition to trails and tree-lined streets, a community center with pools will be in place “before the first home is sold,” Mutchler said.The August edition of the New Falcon Herald reported that the ranch’s Inaugural Village, which is located on 300 acres near the northeast corner of Marksheffel Road and Dublin Boulevard will contain 800 single-family homes, 110 duplexes and 172 town homes. It is the only part of the ranch completely master-planned at this time. Five other villages are in the planning stages, and all six villages will be located within the Falcon school district.Shannon Cook, also representing the Banning Lewis management company, said the original master plan included land dedicated for schools, but those sites are being re-evaluated. Moe addressed the overcrowded Falcon school district: “Obviously a major goal is to bring the schools on line when they are needed, and we are currently in negotiation with D 49 school officials.” Moe also said the Inaugural Village school site is under design to combine athletic fields with a park, so residents will have full access to the playing fields when the school is not using them.Colorado Springs Utilities obtained Banning Lewis water rights when the city annexed the property. Moe stated the Banning Lewis management company is working with the utilities department to complete the water system for the first six villages. “To my knowledge, there are no plans to drill wells,” Moe said. Mutchler said native plants and grasses will be used to landscape the majority of the ranch. The plan is designed to limit green areas requiring irrigation, Cook said.Moe talked about the Jimmy Camp Reservoir. “We are neither encouraging nor discouraging its development, we are involved with the design study for the reservoir with CSU … and contributing to it financially,” he said. He said he didn’t know when the reservoir study would be completed. Mutchler said the Colorado Springs Fire Department will provide fire protection for the entire development.The Banning Lewis management company is working hard to “balance employment and housing supported by facilities and services that will add value to the lifestyle opportunities they (the management company) create,” Moe said. Golf courses, hiking trails, perhaps equestrian centers and water activities, if the reservoir comes to fruition, will become important features for Banning Lewis Ranch residents, he said.
