In May, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved a rezoning request for a Falcon landmark: the property at the corner of Old Meridian Road and McLaughlin Road.Ann and Art Van Sant purchased the property in 1984. At that time, the main building housed a beauty shop, the Last Chance Bakery, a liquor store and S.S. Subs, which Van Sant operated, according to an article in the June 2004 issue of The New Falcon Herald. Rawhide Realty occupied the farmhouse on the property that’s now occupied by The Emporium, an embroidery and print business that showcases approximately local craft, gift and collectible vendors.Art Van Sant, known as the ìgodfather of Falconî died in 2005, but his wife, Ann, still owns the property through a limited liability company called Falcon Station.Today, the main building is occupied by a restaurant, a veterinarian’s office and a jewelry store.Part of the 3.26-acre property was zoned as a commercial neighborhood district, and the other part was zoned as a residential rural district. With the rezoning request approved, the entire property is now zoned as a commercial community district.If there is a decision to plat the property, the county will require a storm drain system along Old Meridian Road and changes to the access areas to meet current county standards.Future development of the property will require a connection to a central wastewater treatment system, such as Falcon Highlands Metropolitan District, which currently provides water.In the letter of intent she submitted to the county in support of the rezone request, Ann Van Sant said seven of the lots within the property were 32 feet wide and 160 feet long ñ dimensions that are obsolete for current construction and zoning standards.The proposed zoning request would ìeliminate obsolete residential lots and allow rezoning of the entire property to a more suitable commercial zone,î Van Sant said.
