DEVELOPMENT WATCH:

While the GEHA Committee will continue to prepare/respond to referral responses on all proposed development received from Douglas County, the Town of Parker, City of Lone Tree, and Meridian Metropolitan District affecting our community, the GEHA Committee is a volunteer organization and does not have the legal resources to effectively prevent development that is approved by either the Douglas County Commissioners or other council/board members.

The GEHA Committee encourages all GVE residents to understand the issues facing our community and become more involved, as needed.

Update:  construction of the pipeline was completed in June of 2017.  Below is a brief historical perspective:

CH2M (the pipeline consulting and design firm) indicated that Layne Construction (general contractor) was installing the 42” steel pipeline from Main St. heading east towards Reuter Hess Reservoir. In addition, 3 of the 5 tunnels had been completed.

A more extensive overview of the entire project is available at:

http://douglascountyco.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1685&MediaPosition=&ID=2760&CssClass

Ownership of the passive park belongs to Douglas County.  There is a pedestrian/equestrian trail along the Happy Canyon Creek with parking at the far south end of 2nd St. in the cul de sac.  And, on a sunny day, HawkQuest can be seen training various bird of prey.  On an annual basis, the HOA Committee working the Douglas County also hosts a community-wide cleanup (depending on interest).

In 2016, the GEHA Committee working with interested residents explored the possibility of joint ownership community ownership of the passive park but did not proceed with the effort when it was discovered that the property taxes would increase substantially and it was recommended that a community-wide liability insurance be obtained.

In March 2016, the GEHA Committee was notified about a Town of Parker public hearing scheduled regarding the formation of the Belford North & South Metropolitan Districts on our north boundary specific to the Compark Village South planned development (between approximately 1st and 4th Sts.)  A “Service Plan” between the Town of Parker and the Belford South Metropolitan District was approved by the Town Council the same year.

  • The service plan will cover: streets, water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, park and recreation.
  • Financing for the project will be primarily paid for initially by a fee imposed on the developers and through an ongoing mill levy imposed on residents.
  • Initial plans are for the Stonegate Village Metropolitan District to provide water and sewer infrastructure.
  • Compark Village South maintains ownership of a buffer between Grand View Estates and the north development.
  • The development will consist of single/multi-residential housing and two new parks.  Future phases may also include commercial between Belford Ave. and 470.
The proposed Chambers Highpoint development will be located on our north boundary approximately between 5th and 6th Sts. and then continuing north of Chambers Reservoir.  The current development plans are for multi-family residential housing and commericial sites.

Compark Village South also still maintains ownership of a buffer between Grand View Estates and the new development.

There are no current plans to develop the property on our west boundary and it remains zoned commercial from the original 2007 development plans.

Below is an update from one of the County’s long-term planners:

“At this time, the County not seen or heard of any development plans for either Airport 320 or Vista Pointe PDs. These PDs are not a part of Meridian, so they would not have been part of any Meridian PD amendments. The only development on the Airport 320 site has been the extension of Belford Ave. east of Peoria St. for access to Compark South.
Any change in use, such as adding a residential, will require amending the PDs since they were approved for commercial-office-industrial uses. If a PD amendment were submitted it would follow the standard County notification process, which includes neighboring property owners and HOAs.
I do not know anything about the Airport 320 districts web pages being disabled.”
In early November ’16, all residents along Happy Canyon Creek in GVE received a letter from Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) (now known as Mile High Flood District) regarding the pending update of the FIRMs for Happy Canyon Creek and Badger Gulch in Douglas and Arapahoe Counties.  (A copy of the letter is attached as *.pdf file.)

Parcels along the creek were mapped into a high risk flood zone which means the areas are subject to flooding in a 1% annual chance flood (also known as the base flood or 100-year floodplain).

Creek residents were provided with specific information where the new floodplain is in relation to their structures and/or property as a result of the new mapping.

In addition, by drilling down to GVE on the FEMA Map Service Center’s website at: https://hazards-fema.maps.arcgis.com/, you can see the entire revised FIRM for GVE.

The revised flood maps became effective in early 2018.  Some creek residents may be required by their mortgage company to purchase flood insurance, as is already the case for several creek residents under the current mapping system primarily north of Elm St.

The GEHA Committee recently contacted Douglas County regarding progress for Phase I of proposed infrastructure changes to Happy Canyon Creek primarily north of Dogwood Ave.  The County continues to indicate that proposed changes will occur, but the proposed timeline is unclear at this time.

Creek residents will be involved in any future planning meetings with all entities involved.