The Falcon/Peyton Small Area Master Planning Advisory Committee discussed the current draft of the master plan and talked about development growth patterns at the April 2 meeting.Aaron Briggs, HB&A project manager and consultant to the committee, discussed the changes that representatives from High Plains Ranch and Rock Springs Ranch had requested at a previous meeting. The changes would allow them to develop 2.5-acre lots or less. Briggs said the infrastructure supports the change. The master plan, which currently designates High Plains and Rock Springs as rural developments, will be changed accordingly. Briggs also addressed potential development growth patterns and highlighted three possibilities: an eastward expansion along current developments trends, creating a broad band of development; a node system comprised of urban pockets centered around existing water, sewer and power infrastructure; and a synthesis approach with small urban pockets buffered by rural residential areas.Randy Case II, High Plains Ranch developer, cautioned the committee that once land is designated as rural residential, it is difficult to change the zoning. Urban infill rarely happens in these cases because of the difficulty coordinating with small-parcel land owners, he said. Case advised the committee to consider rural residential as a permanent form of development.Tim Siebert, representative of N.E.S. Inc., said he was concerned about areas intended for future development. Siebert said the current maps are ambiguous regarding land parcels that are not specifically designated for urban growth. “The graphic is worth a thousand words,” he said. “It needs to be totally accurate so there is no misinterpretation further down the road.”Carl Schueler, El Paso County long range planning division manager, said the map should specifically mark areas intended for current and future development, including those areas excluded for development. Schueler said that language in the master plan does not prohibit development in areas not currently designated for growth. Unforeseen economic factors could make these areas feasible for development down the road, Schueler said. “The onus rests on potential developers to show how they could make it work and extend services to these areas,” he said.Darsey Nicklasson from Pulte Homes asked Briggs about the possibility of town centers, an idea that stemmed from the community meetings held in January and February, he said.Briggs said that residents, especially in Peyton, wanted commercial development that would maintain an old town feel. HB&A is researching the town center idea and will determine if that type of development fits with the master plan, Briggs said.As the meeting closed, the committee had not reached a consensus on a single preferred growth pattern.Shueler said he and Briggs will meet to discuss the suggestions and how they translate to the planning map.The committee will meet at 3 p.m. April 16 at the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department in Colorado Springs.
