Town Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to vacate a portion of Stanley Circle Drive right of way, allowing for a larger parcel of land to be available for a proposed workforce housing development.
Paul Hornbeck, senior planner for the Town of Estes Park, told the Board that vacating approximately 11,000 sq. feet of the right of way along 179 Stanley Circle Dr. will return ownership of the land “back to the adjacent property, in this case, the town.”
Raymond and Luzia Sahm, who live on Highland Lane adjacent to the proposed development, objected to the action due to concerns for the character of their property and congestion at the intersection leading into the neighborhood.
“That leaves the intersection of Stanley Circle and Stanley Avenue as it is. There can be no room for improvement on that intersection,” said Raymond Sahm, who explained the problems and seemingly poor planning with the intersection neighboring his home.
“I don’t think you know what the character of the neighborhood is. They’re quaint little homes, older homes, but if you build, which by absorbing it, means extra units will be built. That’s going to destroy the character of the neighborhood,” said Luzia Sahm
Trustee Bill Brown acknowledged the problems with the intersection and asked if the town could still make improvements to it if it were to vacate the right of way and, in the future, wanted to do so.
Town Engineer Trevor Wittwer offered conceptual plans for a T-intersection further west from Stanley Avenue, and said this vacation would not impact the potential for those improvements.
“My primary concern was the traffic,” said Trustee Mark Igel. “I think that we have to look at the entire neighborhood about what the potential is for that intersection versus what it is today. So I have some real concerns about vacating the right of way.”
Town Administrator Travis Machalek added that the traffic study would come in the future with the development plan.
Igel questioned what further public hearings would be held on the property’s development, and Hornbeck said there would be a public hearing at the Planning Commission before the final decision is made.
For the development plans to move forward, the property must still be rezoned to a multifamily property.
Despite some hesitation from Trustee Igel, the ordinance passed unanimously, and the portion of Stanley Circle Drive right of way was vacated with the Town Board’s approval.