The almost 6,000 acres of wide open land is used for cattle grazing, outdoor sports, and is home to hundreds of native species of plants and animals. The land is currently owned by the Seligman Group, a development and management company based in Palo Alto. The land has passed through many hands since the 80s, always with a luxury development in mind.
Longtime Homestead Ranch resident, Miriam Fennell, says that her land goes right up to the development line, and if the PUD passes, there would be a ski lift in her backyard.
“I knew when we purchased the property that we were directly adjacent to this massive, nearly 6,000 acre ranch. I live in a neighborhood that is directly adjacent to the property. Everyone that we spoke with, including our, the homeowner that we've purchased our home from felt like there's just no way this is ever, it's ever going to fly. It's too far out of town. It would take too much to develop it. It just isn't going to happen. I think it's 50/50, 50 percent of the people that we've spoken to in the have said not going to happen. The other 50 percent are, we don't want it to happen, but what are you going to do? “
Fennell says there are about 28 families that call neighboring Homestead Ranch home. Her HOA meetings right now center around this small community's four big worries. Water, traffic, wildlife, and fire. Gregg Minion lives less than a mile away from Spring Valley in a community called Elk Springs.
Minion and Fennell are both vehemently opposed to the proposed development. Fennell reports talking to one community member who is conflicted, and Minion, who has been collecting signatures for a petition, says he's spoken to maybe 10 people who aren't in the same camp.
“So some builders who say, hey, this might be really good for me. There are some people who feel that private land should be, you should be allowed to do whatever you want on your land, if it's your land.”
Private land or not, Fennell and Minion are concerned that the effects of the development, were the PUD to pass, would ripple throughout the whole valley. Minion believes that the development could bring unprecedented traffic increases, which he says would pose several dangers.
“I think anybody who's trying to go home in the evening knows what a mess the traffic can be on 82. And so, uh, the other part of the problem with traffic is it's fire egress. It's very limited.”
Fire season in Colorado goes from May through September. Risk factors include drought, high winds, and human activity.
According to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, climate change is increasing both the severity and frequency of wildfires. For Expanding Wildlands human interface increases the risk of fire damage in heavily populated areas. Another primary concern is the cost of housing and of labor. Fennell, who moved to Spring Valley 10 years ago, says she would not be able to afford her cabin if she moved here today.
“2 million for a lot and then 4 to 5 million minimum for homes being built on these lots. We already, as we all know, have an existing housing shortage, but that kind of development only exacerbates the problem because it raises the prices of all of the land around it to the point where people who are making a good living, teachers, police officers, firemen, can't afford to live here- Nurses.”
In order to be able to stay where they are, Fennell and her neighbors have to be able to access one of the Western Slope's most precious resources, water. Water that they are concerned would be taken from the homes of locals and onto the Spring Valley Development's proposed luxury golf course.
“We all know that the Western Slope is drying up. This has been happening for decades. It seems to be going faster the last ten years or so. Aspen groves are dying. I have evidence of that on my property because of the drought that we're experiencing. The two private golf courses, the private south facing ski hill, 577 homes with gardens and landscaping, will use our water.”
Water that Fennell believes when returned to the aquifer will be mostly runoff contaminated with pesticides. Although water would return to the system, she has a hard time justifying that volume of consumption. Storied Development's most recent PUD will go before the Community Development Department on September 25th.
They can be contacted via Garfield County's website. County Commissioner meetings can be streamed online or attended in person by any member of the public.
This is a developing story and KDNK will be following up as more information becomes available. The concerns discussed in this story are those of community members, and KDNK’s team will be reporting further on this issue.
