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OCN > 2404 > El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, March 28 – Minor subdivisions in Black Forest and Gleneagle approved

El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, March 28 – Minor subdivisions in Black Forest and Gleneagle approved

By Helen Walklett

In March, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) considered minor subdivision requests for properties in Black Forest and Gleneagle.

Forest Heights Estates

At their March 28 land use meeting, the commissioners heard a request by the Jon Didleaux and Phyllis Didleau Revocable Trust for approval of a 32.168-acre minor subdivision to create four single-family lots and two tracts. The property is zoned RR-5 (residential rural) and is located at 8250 Forest Heights Circle east of Herring Road and north of Shoup Road. The subdivision will be known as Forest Heights Estates.

The application came to the BOCC with a unanimous recommendation for approval from the March 7 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting. At that meeting, four citizens spoke in opposition, focusing on trail access, dedication of land for trail easements, the requested waivers (pertaining to allowing a private rather than public road and not establishing an HOA), and the maintenance agreement for the private road. The commissioners at that meeting felt the concerns were either not directly relevant to the review criteria or were not legally enforceable.

In conformity with the zoning, all four proposed lots will be a minimum of 5 acres. Two are proposed to be larger at 7.6 acres and 12.10 acres and these will be located on the property’s south side near neighboring larger properties. The two smaller lots will be located adjacent to smaller lots to the property’s north and west. Access to the lots is proposed via the existing private gravel road, Forest Heights Circle, which extends east from Herring Road and serves six existing family homes. The applicant will be responsible for improving the road and the cul-de-sac at its end. The maintenance of the road will be undertaken by the residents under a formal agreement, although the commissioners heard that not all the neighbors have signed this.

At the BOCC meeting, Ryan Howser, planner III, Planning and Community Development, said that since the Planning Commission hearing the applicant has proposed to work with the community to provide the requested trail easements. This would include a northern easement for a trail along the northern edge of lot 1, which would enable a connection to Meadow Glen Lane. The gesture was described by Commissioner Carrie Geitner as “quite generous.”

Judy von Ahlefeldt, an adjacent neighbor, spoke in opposition during the public comment section of the hearing to suggest an alternative to the planned cul-de-sac. This would see it built in a different location which she said would provide better protection for the wetlands. She described it as a practical, economic, conservation solution and said, “I am offering to purchase the end of Forest Heights Circle and have two shared private driveways. I will pay for survey costs. I will pay for maintaining this end of the road.”

In rebuttal Dave Gorman, with M.V.E. Inc. and representing the applicant, said the proposed roadway was designed to closely meet county standards and the cul-de-sac is required in the standards and was intended to promote safety. Applicant Jon Didleaux said, “Judy suggested that we move that cul-de-sac but that takes up two areas. It cuts into both 5-acre parcels that we’re trying to subdivide, and we were trying to avoid that just to make it a regular 5-acre parcel for the future owner without having to put a cul-de-sac in each person’s lot.”

Seeking clarification, Commissioner Stan VanderWerf said, “There were some statements made by Ms. von Ahlefeldt today offering an alternate proposal and offering to help fund that alternate proposal. Has there been a formal offer from her to your clients about that and, if so, has that been rejected by your clients?” The answer from Gorman was no. VanderWerf then continued, “Under the conditions that this might go forward and be voted on and approved, I just was interested in knowing, I would presume those discussions could continue should an offer be made and the applicant consider it?” Staff advised that this would be the case and it would be a matter for Ms. von Ahlefeldt and the applicant to work out between themselves.

The vote to approve was unanimous.

Gleneagle minor subdivision

Also at the March 28 land use meeting, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a request by Aaron Atwood for a 5.04-acre minor subdivision to be known as Pair-A-Dise to create two single-family lots. The property is zoned RR-2.5 and is located on Struthers Loop, south of the junction of West Baptist Road and Leather Chaps Road. The site is currently vacant. The proposed lots will each slightly exceed 2.5 acres. The application was heard as a consent item, meaning there was no discussion.

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The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) usually meets every Tuesday at 9 am at Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Suite 150, Colo. Springs. Agendas and meetings can be viewed at www.agendasuite.org/iip/elpaso. Information is available at 719-520-643. BOCC land use meetings are normally held the second and fourth Thursdays of the month (as needed) at 1 pm in Centennial Hall.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me

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