El Paso County panel recommends North Ranch rezoning for 15 rural lots near Highway 83
The Planning Commission’s 6-3 recommendation would let North Ranch LLC pursue smaller rural lots, while the County Commission’s final action remained pending as of Sept. 18.
The El Paso County Planning Commission recommended rezoning 47.55 acres near Colorado Highway 83 for a future subdivision of up to 15 rural lots, after residents raised concerns about traffic, water, wildfire evacuation and the area’s rural character.
The commission voted 6-3 on Sept. 3 to recommend changing the property’s zoning from Residential Rural-5, which generally requires 5-acre lots, to Residential Rural-2.5, which allows 2.5-acre lots. North Ranch LLC’s letter of intent anticipates 15 lots averaging about 3.17 acres. The existing home, accessory living quarters and barn would remain, the county’s planning record says.
The property is about 0.7 miles south of the intersection of Highway 83 and Colorado Highway 105 in the Walden-area community. Future homes would use individual wells and septic systems. A water-sufficiency finding would be required during subdivision review, but not for the rezoning.
The county’s traffic analysis projected 127 additional daily trips. Access would come from an extension of Needles Drive rather than direct connections to Highway 83. The existing driveway on Highway 83 would be restricted to emergency use because the Colorado Department of Transportation would not permit a permanent connection. A Knox Box would be installed, and a state access permit would still be required during final-plat review.
Residents also raised concerns about groundwater, fire protection, emergency access, wildlife, privacy, open space and rural character. Those comments describe residents’ concerns, not county findings that the impacts will occur. Needles Drive is a county-maintained gravel road; questions about future improvements would be addressed during subdivision review.
The property is within the Monument Fire Protection District, which did not take a position on the rezoning. Detailed fire-protection measures, including any cistern plans, would be reviewed during later subdivision and development approvals. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had no outstanding comments, and the recommendation includes conditions requiring future development to comply with wildlife, land-development and engineering requirements.
The Board of County Commissioners had not acted on the rezoning as of Sept. 18. The board’s agenda schedules the request for consideration on Sept. 24. Any final conditions would depend on the board’s action and subsequent subdivision review.