Costco will build in the Crown Point development southeast of E-470 and South Parker Road near Parker Adventist Hospital. Town council unanimously voted April 16 to approve the incentive agreement, which will share back sales, use and excise taxes over a maximum of nine years.The incentive is the largest Parker has granted, eclipsing the $6.1 million economic sales tax break given to Super Target in June 2005.
Town administrator Jeannene Bragg said the incentive package not only will bring in Costco to fill a service gap, but "help spur additional retail on the north end of town."One of town council's goals for economic development is to "provide incentives and support to encourage" the development of key community services that are lacking in Parker, including a book store, retail membership outlet and family entertainment venues, according to a memo to council from Bragg.
Crown Point also will receive a maximum of $3.6 million in tax incentives. The agreement is part of an amendment to an existing sales tax incentive package approved by town council several years ago, the memo says. Parker will retain a portion of future sales tax for general fund use. Costco must still go through Parker's development review process, and the incentive agreements are dependent upon the opening of a Costco store in Crown Point.
Tim Leonard, a representative for the Crown Point development, said his clients have been in discussions with Costco for more than three years. Costco, a Washington-based corporation, is hoping to open the store by Christmas.Ben Snow, executive director for the Parker Economic Development Council, said the planned location for Costco is of "critical geographic importance" in terms of future commercial development.Town council member Gary Lasater said that incentive packages are not awarded to everyone and said a retail membership warehouse was listed in a gap analysis of Parker.
Town council member Tracy Hutchins said "it is a lot of money" to grant in sales tax incentives, but town council has a "vested financial interest" to accommodate the needs and wants of Parker consumers. Hutchins said she respects the free enterprise system in Parker because it allows for competition in the marketplace.The town will share back 60 percent of sales tax collected at Costco during each one-year period of the agreement until the town has paid $4 million to the retailer. Once the $4 million is collected, the town will share back 80 percent of sales tax until Costco receives $8 million. Parker will share back all of the excise taxes once a certificate of occupancy is issued.Town council is giving $3.6 million in sales tax incentives to Crown Point for discounting the purchase price of the Costco property.
Contact Chris Michlewicz at 303-841-5497 or cmichlewicz@ccnewspapers.com.
For more info on Parker Colorado and Parker Colorado Homes, go to http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Subdivision's Residents Balk at More Drilling
This article below illustrates the tug-of-war we are having between developers and the public. Although the developers should have the right to develop their property, its all about making money for them, and nothing else. And they could care a less about the greater good of the communites they develop in and the bigger picture of scarcity of resources on our earth, and in Colorado. When will it end? When will we finally say "we don't have enough water for more homes, period, and we can't build any more of them?" I bet it never happens, and I bet we let them build and build until we have a crisis and we all lose, especially future generations.
By Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News April 25, 2007
Bear Mountain Vista homeowners are well aware why Jefferson County is weighing ways to govern new wells in mountain subdivisions.
The 1,000-acre subdivision south of Evergreen features broad meadows, mountain views, a wealth of wildlife and several hundred homes with individual wells.
It also features growing concern over shrinking water supplies.
Developer Ron Lewis had asked the state water court for permission to drill nine new wells on less than 35 acres within Bear Mountain Vista. But adjacent -homeowners concerned about their own wells objected.
The case is pending before the Colorado Supreme Court.
Unlike the vast underground water basins that Douglas County depends on, Jefferson County's mountain residents tap into unpredictable caches of water in random fractures of bedrock.
"Drilling wells here is like going to Las Vegas and shooting craps," said Jim Peterson, a former federal geologist and president of the Bear Mountain Homeowners Association.
Peterson said some homeowners in his area had monitored the flows from their wells since the late 1990s.
"We have evidence that the water levels were declining by up to hundreds of feet and there'd been well failures near us and around us," he said.
Peterson said the wells that failed were redrilled and some went to 1,100 feet before finding enough water for showers, washing dishes, cooking and laundry.
The prospect of new wells tapping into the same declining levels of water was troubling, so the homeowners went to water court, which agreed with them in August 2006.
"Lewis provided no evidence that there was enough water to supply the new homes," said Peterson.
Lewis, who for 50 years has developed mountain subdivisions that rely on groundwater, appealed to the state's high court.
"Not all of the wells up there declined. In some wells, the water levels rose," he said.
Nevertheless, Water Court Judge Jonathan Hayes denied Lewis well permits for his Cragmont subdivision, too, which now relies on water trucked from Bailey to a central cistern.
Lewis also is fighting the county's proposed new well regulations.
"The county should keep its nose out of the water business," he said.
Today, the most productive wells in Lewis' subdivisions are 1,000 feet deep or more - made possible in part due to new drilling technology.
"I've drilled 250 wells in Bear Mountain," said Lewis. "Each home I know of has well water from a limited supply to more than enough."
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
By Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News April 25, 2007
Bear Mountain Vista homeowners are well aware why Jefferson County is weighing ways to govern new wells in mountain subdivisions.
The 1,000-acre subdivision south of Evergreen features broad meadows, mountain views, a wealth of wildlife and several hundred homes with individual wells.
It also features growing concern over shrinking water supplies.
Developer Ron Lewis had asked the state water court for permission to drill nine new wells on less than 35 acres within Bear Mountain Vista. But adjacent -homeowners concerned about their own wells objected.
The case is pending before the Colorado Supreme Court.
Unlike the vast underground water basins that Douglas County depends on, Jefferson County's mountain residents tap into unpredictable caches of water in random fractures of bedrock.
"Drilling wells here is like going to Las Vegas and shooting craps," said Jim Peterson, a former federal geologist and president of the Bear Mountain Homeowners Association.
Peterson said some homeowners in his area had monitored the flows from their wells since the late 1990s.
"We have evidence that the water levels were declining by up to hundreds of feet and there'd been well failures near us and around us," he said.
Peterson said the wells that failed were redrilled and some went to 1,100 feet before finding enough water for showers, washing dishes, cooking and laundry.
The prospect of new wells tapping into the same declining levels of water was troubling, so the homeowners went to water court, which agreed with them in August 2006.
"Lewis provided no evidence that there was enough water to supply the new homes," said Peterson.
Lewis, who for 50 years has developed mountain subdivisions that rely on groundwater, appealed to the state's high court.
"Not all of the wells up there declined. In some wells, the water levels rose," he said.
Nevertheless, Water Court Judge Jonathan Hayes denied Lewis well permits for his Cragmont subdivision, too, which now relies on water trucked from Bailey to a central cistern.
Lewis also is fighting the county's proposed new well regulations.
"The county should keep its nose out of the water business," he said.
Today, the most productive wells in Lewis' subdivisions are 1,000 feet deep or more - made possible in part due to new drilling technology.
"I've drilled 250 wells in Bear Mountain," said Lewis. "Each home I know of has well water from a limited supply to more than enough."
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Weather an Impact?
Realtors love to come up with excuses on why the market is slow. Can the weather have an impact on housing sales? It can impact moods, schedules, access, and of course how well a home shows. With the wacky weather we had this past winter, its not a stretch to think it made a difference...
Bad weather in February led to slow sales of existing homes nationwide in March, according to a new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Western states, including Colorado, were particularly hard hit.
But metro Denver fared much better than the West as a whole, based on preliminary data, according to NAR spokesman Walt Molony. "It wasn't down as much," he said.
Data on recent Colorado existing-home sales will be released on May 15, according to NAR.
The West reported the largest drop, by region, in the number of home sales from March of last year -- 16.7 percent to 1.2 million. Sales of houses in the region decreased 9.1 percent from February of this year.
Homes sales are seasonally adjusted to factor out variations in resale activity, including family buying patterns, according to NAR. But seasonal factors don't compensate for bad weather.
The West also saw the biggest decrease in median sales prices of existing homes, at 2.9 percent to $330,600. The Western median sales price was the highest among the regions last month, with the next-highest median being $268,600 in the Northeast.
Sales prices are not seasonally adjusted.
All regions of the country saw declines in the number of home sales in March, according to NAR.
Sales of existing homes -- including single-family houses, townhomes and condominiums -- dropped 11.3 percent to 6.12 million last month from the same month in 2006. March sales decreased 8.4 percent from February of this year.
The Northeast saw the least decline in sales at 5.1 percent.
Median sales price decreased 0.3 percent to $217,000 from March 2006. Only one region of the country -- the South -- saw an increase in median sales price, up 0.4 percent to $180,700.
Based in Washington, D.C., NAR is one of this country's largest trade groups. It represents more than 1.3 million members involved in residential and commercial real estate.
Go to http://www.ColoradoDreamHomes.net for the best local real estate information.
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
Bad weather in February led to slow sales of existing homes nationwide in March, according to a new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Western states, including Colorado, were particularly hard hit.
But metro Denver fared much better than the West as a whole, based on preliminary data, according to NAR spokesman Walt Molony. "It wasn't down as much," he said.
Data on recent Colorado existing-home sales will be released on May 15, according to NAR.
The West reported the largest drop, by region, in the number of home sales from March of last year -- 16.7 percent to 1.2 million. Sales of houses in the region decreased 9.1 percent from February of this year.
Homes sales are seasonally adjusted to factor out variations in resale activity, including family buying patterns, according to NAR. But seasonal factors don't compensate for bad weather.
The West also saw the biggest decrease in median sales prices of existing homes, at 2.9 percent to $330,600. The Western median sales price was the highest among the regions last month, with the next-highest median being $268,600 in the Northeast.
Sales prices are not seasonally adjusted.
All regions of the country saw declines in the number of home sales in March, according to NAR.
Sales of existing homes -- including single-family houses, townhomes and condominiums -- dropped 11.3 percent to 6.12 million last month from the same month in 2006. March sales decreased 8.4 percent from February of this year.
The Northeast saw the least decline in sales at 5.1 percent.
Median sales price decreased 0.3 percent to $217,000 from March 2006. Only one region of the country -- the South -- saw an increase in median sales price, up 0.4 percent to $180,700.
Based in Washington, D.C., NAR is one of this country's largest trade groups. It represents more than 1.3 million members involved in residential and commercial real estate.
Go to http://www.ColoradoDreamHomes.net for the best local real estate information.
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Timbers Will Rock Your World
If you want to see the most innovative floorplans, the best and newest finishes, and some unbelievable elevations on 1/2 acre wooded lots, come to The Timbers at The Pinery. There are usually from 8-14 Open Houses there every weekend from 11AM-6PM. The are simply gorgeous!
For more information about this area, call Jeff @ 303-717-1492. Go to http://www.ColoradoDreamHomes.net for the latest info on new construction!
This Blog is dedicated to Parker Colorado Real Estate, Parker Colorado Homes, Elizabeth Colorado real estate, Elizabeth Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado homes, Franktown Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado real estate, Lone Tree Colorado homes, Highlands Ranch real estate, Highlands Ranch homes, Castle Rock real estate, Castle Rock homes, and metro Denver Colorado real estate property listings. Search the Denver MLS directly for properties and homes at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.info/ and access a huge real estate resource at http://www.coloradodreamhomes.net/
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Parker Colorado Growing Up!
The natural evolution of the local economy is stretching Parker's borders and piquing the interest of office developers.
The Parker Economic Development Council is planning for the future and wants to strike a balance between residential, retail and office uses."We're at the point where we are large enough that office uses are in demand," said Ben Snow, executive director of the economic development council. "Office developers are taking notice because Parker is just at the threshold [of homes] needed to support that kind of development."The economy follows a natural progression that starts with a housing boom, Snow said.
People are soon followed by retailers and service providers and finally office buildings. But as it stands, Parker loses about 75-80 percent of its population every workday, resulting in a lagging daytime economy."The best places to live have good jobs, quality schools and a low crime rate," he said. "The quality of life things don't matter if there are no jobs. Jobs are the linchpin of the economy."Furthermore, as traffic congestion increases there needs to be alternatives for the local workforce, including an option to not commute out of Parker, Snow said.In the last six months, there has been an increase in the number of inquiries to the economic development council from large corporations interested in basing their headquarters in Parker, Snow said. As far-fetched as it might have sounded 10 years ago, there is a high probability Parker will be home to a large company.
The development council helped shape the economic development section of Parker's 2025 master plan, which the town updated in 2006. The document maps out land uses, including future commercial centers in Parker. Town council has pushed to make Parker a place where people can live, work and play.The largest amount of commercial growth is expected to happen along the E-470 corridor at the Chambers Road, Jordan Road and South Parker Road interchanges.
Parker is planning to annex American Furniture Warehouse in the ComPark development on the north end of town and has already annexed about 300 acres in the commercial hub.Retail and office developments will follow a path from I-25 to the E-470 corridor, Snow said. Several mixed-use developments will crop up along the toll road in the next five years, especially in the Crown Point development, which houses Parker Adventist Hospital and the largest office building in Parker, the 85,000-square-foot medical office building attached to the hospital.
The developments will include retail and office uses, and some will have residential spaces in the form of lofts. The development council helped plot out employment centers on E-470 that could provide a close workplace for Parker residents. Half of the 1,400 acres still available for commercial development is along E-470. Snow said that both sides of South Parker Road are largely undeveloped. The economic development council will reach out to local executives and ask them to consider the benefits of establishing offices in Parker, Snow said.
The town's proximity to two major highways and a highly educated population are selling points for enticing office developers. Parker's quality of life, executive housing and workforce housing are also attractive attributes."This has never been done. Parker has always been known as a place to live, a bedroom community," he said.Future offices could be scattered throughout Parker, and there are no immediate plans for "another Denver Tech Center," Snow said. Many of the office buildings in Parker would be smaller than those along the I-25 corridor, which average about 55,000 square feet in size.
A majority of the buildings would be between 20,000 and 30,000 square feet and have two or three stories.Medical office buildings will play a large role in the expansion of offices in Parker. There are preliminary plans to build a Kaiser Permanente facility on the northeast corner of South Parker Road and Stroh Road.
It will not be part of a larger office development; rather, it will have adjacent retail storefronts along the roadway.Parker has roughly 2.9 million square feet of retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space and 1 million square feet of industrial uses. The economic development council is expecting office uses to catch up in proportion to retail space but lag behind the housing numbers."It would be foolish for us to lose out on an opportunity to develop offices by just building more houses and more retail," Snow said.
Contact Chris Michlewicz at 303-841-5497 or cmichlewicz@ccnewspapers.com.
Go to www.ColoradoDreamHomes.net for more info on Parker Colorado Homes and Businesses.
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