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New - Warrant for arrest out on would-be developer Click here to read the Daily Sentinel Article! Link to Rocky Mountain News article, March 26, 2008 Grand Junction Free Press article by Sharon Sullivan - March 28, 2008 Grand Junction Daily Sentinel articles by Mike Wiggins- March 30, 2008 Archives |
The Old Spanish Trail - It's Mesa County's Backyard! We are so fortunate to have this area as our "back yard," accessable to walkers, hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders via the Old Spanish Trail - easily accessible within only 10 minutes from Downtown Grand Junction. This section of the Trail has two trailheads: one near Whitewater and, approximately 7 miles to the northwest, the 28 1/2 Road access. Both trailheads are in jeopardy from proposed development and the pressure from developers to obtain easy access using public lands. We are concerned about the future of the Old Spanish Trail in Mesa County as well as the very public record of one of the developers who has bought almost 400 acres adjacent to these public lands. We have recently become aware of another development threatening the same area of the Old Spanish Trail. We are in the process of organizing, researching and documenting any information we can find about the Laws regarding the Old Spanish Trail and the implications of development that may be approved by the City of Grand Junction. On Feb. 7, 2008, our neighborhood was informed about a proposed development on 17 acres to the south of Edlun Road. Click here to see the map of the area. The first step in the approval process will be a petition by the developer to the City of Grand Junction to annex the 17 acres and rezone it for compaitibility with the City's zoning - allowing up to four homes per acre. Mesa County has experienced tremendous growth and development on Orchard Mesa in recent years. The response to the developer's expected proposal to annex and rezone resulted in circulation of a petion that garnered over 200 signatures in just 2 days, neighborhood meetings and media attention. Why? This development and the company that owns the 17 acres has come under tremendous scrutiny for business dealings in the Greeley, Colorado area. We have also learned that this same developer has purchased almost 400 additional acres to the south of his 17 acres. Should this Orchard Mesa property be zoned or covenants be insisted upon to assure that development is responsible and reasonable for the area? Would 5 acre or larger parcels result in better use of the land, successful development and less traffic and less negative impact? Will the access to the Old Spanish Trail be destroyed? Will the Old Spanish Trail be bisected by development, thereby eliminating the connection with the Gunnison Bluffs Trail? Will The Trail be obliterated forever? There are significant issues with access into this area, the most important one is the exclusive easement held by the BLM for one important stretch of the Old Spanish Trail - and this is the section this developer needs to access his property. We have prepared a Fact Sheet that summarizes many of the issues we are researching - just click here to download and print it. We are asking the City of Grand Junction to postpone any decision regarding annexation or rezoning until these issues are properly addressed. We see no reason for the City to be in a rush to annex a property that is now landlocked and may continue to be landlocked for the forseeable future. We have also recently been informed of another development threatening the same area of the Old Spanish Trail. The developer of 174 Sunlight Drive proposes that the city turn a section of Sunlight Drive (currently the Trail) into a city street, replacing it with a 10-foot wide bicycle and walking path, but eliminating horse back riding. See the map by clicking here. We will have more on this issue as it develops. If you agree with us, please join with us and let your voice be heard! The Old Spanish Trail, which originated in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the stuff of western heritage and folklore. While its usage is the subject of great controversy, its significance in the area is undisputed. The trail was used by trappers, soldiers, merchants and explorers from the 1700s through the 1800s. A very good history of the trail can be found by clicking here. In the early 1990s, the Grand Junction chapter of the Old Spanish Trail Association led the charge for recognition of the historical importance of the Northern Branch of the Old Spanish Trail. Through cooperation of the Grand Junction Riverfront Commission, Mesa County, the City of Grand Junction, the Museum of Western Colorado, the BLM and the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, a portion of this branch was opened for public use in 1996; in 2002, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell introduced S 1946, the Old Spanish Trail Recognition Act. In 2002, Congress passed the bill unanimously and it became Public Law 107-325, designating the Old Spanish Trail as a National Historic Trail. Secretary of Interior Gale Norton assigned preparation of a Comprehensive Management Plan to both the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service; both agencies are now working on implementing this order; their planning process is scheduled to be completed this year. Read more about the Comprehensive Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail; New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California.
The Old Spanish Trail - Click map for larger version as a pdf. |
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