Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit, Breckenridge, Colorado
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net
With everything from residences to warehouses to restaurants proposed for the
northern McCain property — the last large parcel of unplanned land on
Breckenridge's valley floor — the town is asking the community to provide input
on a plan for the future development of the area.
Officials are hosting
a public meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at town hall to give locals an opportunity to
offer suggestions and comments on possible uses of the property, widely
acknowledged to be a significant aspect of Breckenridge's entrance corridor.
The meeting comes after the property became a topic of community debate
when news came to light that a developer was interested in constructing a gas
station on the property.
Town officials want to preserve part of the
126-acre plot for various public uses, including a solar garden, overflow
parking, a reservoir and open space along the Blue River corridor. But
commercial, or service commercial development, including contractor or building
trades, equipment rental businesses, auto repair shops, warehouses, retail
stores, restaurants, coffee shops, office space, gas stations banks or
entertainment facilities are proposed for two northern sections of the property.
The same space could also be designated for residential use or open
space.
Town leaders vary in their visions for the property, with some
seeing it as an opportunity to retain useful services and businesses in the
northern part of Breckenridge that might otherwise locate in other parts of the
county, and others advocating the space be left undeveloped as a scenic view
corridor on the route into Breck along Highway 9.
“As an entryway into
town, I'm not sure what it's all going to look like at the end of the day,”
Councilman Gary Gallagher said. “But I'd say let's make it all open space and a
beautiful entrance into town.”
Officials said there was interest from an
applicant, but they have not entered into negotiations for a gas station on the
property.
Breckenridge purchased the McCain property — a rectangular
strip of land that runs adjacent to Highway 9 on the north end of town — from a
private owner in 2000. One third of the parcel's approximately $1 million price
tag was covered with open space funds, as the town intended to preserve the
portion of the property along the Blue River corridor.
Breck officials
say there are no plans in place to sell off the section of land that runs
adjacent to the river for development, but there could be. The town is permitted
to sell land purchased with open space dollars as long as the money from the
sale is returned to the open space fund.
“The intent is for it to stay
open space,” Breckenridge spokeswoman Kim Dykstra-DiLallo said in November of
the river corridor, which is also a key wildlife migration area. “But it isn't
like a land trust.”
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News
