One hundred sixty acres of vacant land managed by the State of Colorado Board of Land Commissioners separates Falcon Hills and Woodmen Hills, west of Meridian Road. But it may not be vacant for long.Eric Hemingway, developer for Pointe West Homes, submitted a “letter of intent” to the El Paso County Development Services Department June 12 requesting approval of a sketch plan for a new subdivision called Red Sky Ranch. The plan calls for 444 residential units, 27 acres of commercial development and three acres of parkland on the southwest corner of Meridian and Stapleton roads. However, Pointe West Homes does not own the land.Kim Dimmett, project manager for El Paso County, said, “It is not uncommon for a developer to want to know their project is going to make it through the zoning process before purchasing the land.” But Larry Routten, real estate manager for the Colorado Board of Land Commissioners, said that’s not what is taking place on this parcel of land.In the past, the state sold vacant land to the highest bidder, Routten said. “It is the duty of the board to get the maximum profit from any land it sells,” he added. The revenues from the sale then fund K-12 public schools throughout the state.With Falcon’s booming residential real estate market, Routten said the State of Colorado Board of Land Commissioners knew they would reap the most profit from the acreage if the state retained ownership of the land until the homes are constructed and sold to private individuals.However, the state does not have the staff or resources to build or market a residential development; thus, the board asked developers to submit proposals for the Red Sky Ranch development with an understanding that the state would grant a short-term lease to the developer while the project went through the county planning process and the residential construction occurred, Routten said. The state will then relinquish ownership of the land to individual homeowners.Hemingway said that this is an unusual way to develop land, but he also said he is excited about the project and wants the commercial area within Red Sky Ranch to have a “quality main-street atmosphere, with offices and businesses that will serve surrounding residents.” He also said the project is in the early stages of development, and he isn’t sure it will go before the county planning commission for sketch plan approval. However, he hopes that construction will begin around 2008.According to a July 1 Denver Post article, a similar project on the former Lowry Bombing Range became embroiled in controversy when Gov. Bill Owens removed Pat Teegarden from the Colorado Land Board, a division of the Colorado Board ofLand Commissioners, after he suggested that the “secretive bidding process be more transparent, deliberate and possibly extended until a new governor replaces Owens in January.” Currently, three developers are bidding to construct homes on a small portion of the 2,880-acre Lowry project, which is expected to generate billions of dollars for Colorado public schools, along with vast profits for whatever developer the Land Board chooses.Red Sky Ranch is only a small portion of the 182,283 acres owned by the State Land Board in El Paso County. The sketch plan calls for 444 residential lots to be built on 120 acres, with 294 commercial/industrial units on 27 acres. Once completed, the subdivision will increase traffic on surrounding roads by 9,033 trips a day. Residents will have full access to the subdivision from Stapleton Road, with a secondary access point from Theriot Road. Access from Meridian Road will be restricted to right in and right out access only.According to the sketch plan, Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District will provide water and sewage will be treated at the Paint Brush Hills wastewater treatment plant.Neither Routten nor Hemingway would discuss the financial details between the state and Pointe West Homes, but Routten stressed this arrangement generates far more revenue for the state than past Land Board real estate sales. Hemingway added, “Besides the revenue gained by the state, commercial portions of the project will increase the tax base for the area.”
