Falcon/Peyton planning committee moving along

At the Nov. 14 meeting of the Falcon/Peyton Master Plan committee, Carl Schueler, manager of El Paso County’s long-range planning division, provided information about his stakeholder interview with Randy Case Sr., Randy Case III and Lindsay Case from Case International. The Case properties in the planning area include Latigo Business Center, High Plains Ranch and the Bentgrass development.Schueler said the Cases are interested in creating a transportation district to fund roadwork that will not otherwise be funded. “This is not an idea that is shared by other developers,” he said.Schueler said in almost all cases, metropolitan districts are created to provide public financing for services. “Developers don’t want to join districts that help competitors provide services, such as road building. This leads to a proliferation of districts,” he said. The board of county commissioners is not interested in stopping this proliferation, Schueler added.”The Cases recognize there is not enough water to go around for the developments that are planned,” he said. “And they recognize the need for some kind of water infusion from the Arkansas River.”Schueler and county planner Meghan Yoest also met with the following owners of property along Highway 24:

• Rhonda Evanoika – 6.12 acres
• James Kyle – 13.28 acres
• Larry McLarty – 57.67 acres
• Kristine and Jody Heffner – 5 acres
• Florence Crawford (represented by Rhonda Evanoika) – 5 acres

Their meeting notes indicate the following:

• With the exception of the Heffner property, the land is zoned RR5. Most have occupied dwellings.
• The owners of property at the intersection of Highway 24 and Woodmen Road are interested in selling for commercial development. Some of the properties are currently on the market. They are willing to sell together, and the timing is sooner rather than later.
• The approved Highway 24 access plan shows a potential four-way intersection on Highway 24 at Woodmen Road, with frontage roads serving these parcels. Water and sewer service exists in the vicinity of these properties but would need to be extended, preferably without creating any additional districts.

Aaron Briggs, HB&A consultant to the committee, reviewed population statistics for the area:

• Existing population: 19,749
• Existing capacity (vacant lots) at two to three people per lot: 2,428
• Approved capacity (sketch plans and platted) at two to three people per lot: 28,736
• Anticipated capacity: 73,669
• Total: 130,642 people

The number of 130,642 people “is as far as we can see,” Briggs said. It accounts for 60 percent of the planning area. The remaining 42,000 acres are not allocated to any kind of development, he said.Woodmen Hills and Meridian Ranch have a higher capacity today than originally planned, Briggs said. Usually, developments come in with a lower capacity than planned. “Paint Brush Hills has a capacity of 1,700 people but was carried on the books as having a capacity of 2,500 for 20 years,” he said.The committee also discussed the county’s role in providing services. “The county is ultimately responsible for the road system,” Schueler said. “The county maintains what the developers build. Drainage is largely done by the county.”It’s more expensive for the county to provide services to rural areas, and it’s more expensive to provide services in areas where there is uncertainty about future development.”The next public meeting on the planning area will be held in January.The next advisory committee meeting is scheduled Dec. 12 at the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department in Colorado Springs at 3 p.m. The public is welcome.For more information on the committee’s efforts, visit www.hbaa.com/Falcon-Peyton-MP.