Banning Lewis Ranch (Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch, Center: appointed, foreclosures, rent)

[tfox]

Originally Posted by roastedbeans

Alrighty, Muriel...population growth is a fact of humanity, and we will build where once the antelope roamed. The land on where your college is located was once a deer loafing ground! They can move to Eastern CO and into Kansas, still native habitat.

Chris, I couldn't disagree with you more. The High Plains is THE MOST ENDANGERED ecosystem in North America. This isn't an opinion -- look it up; it's a fact. Wildlife simply can't "go to Kansas" -- Kansas has almost no virgin prairie, Colorado has much more we did more grazing and less cultivation, which if managed properly can coexist with wildlife and native ecosystems.

I'm sick and tired of people respecting the mountains of our state but acting like our prairies are simply reservoirs for the next development to be exploited. The prairies are a precious natural resource that need to be treated as such. To say otherwise isn't just a matter of opinion, it's simply ignorance.

[bashep]

Did your friends give a time frame for the high school? When did they change their minds, according to the Gazette, 3 weeks ago, there wasn't plans for that. just curious... bashep

[lynxcr]

I wouldn't always believe what you read in the newspaper. It could be a comment by an upset individual or whatever the case may be. But it would totally idiotic for a huge master plan like that to not have a high school. A lot of comments made could be made my family already living in the area. This master community will have amenities for its own community. Therefore the possible reason why they are stating no high school is because they haven't even started selling homes on the Banning Lewis Ranch yet. It is projected to start around 2008 or 2010, depending on how many homes they sell between now and then. They have to have money for one to build a high school and they need the demand from Banning Lewis residents. Hope this helps.

Sincerely
a future excited Banning Lewis resident

[bashep]

Hey there- I stand corrected! No thanks to the Gazette.. (by the way it was an article, not an editorial) I ran into a friend who's kids go to Banning Lewis Ranch. She said that they ARE planning on building a High School. But it is down the road. So, I asked her about the kids that are in 7th or 8th grade now and she said that they knew when they enrolled their kids in there, that the high school wouldn't be built for awhile. She can't remember what the time frame is, but they have a plan to build one. So that is good news! bashep

[roastedbeans]

Originally Posted by tfox

The prairies are a precious natural resource that need to be treated as such. To say otherwise isn't just a matter of opinion, it's simply ignorance.

Tfox, I'm not saying the prairies are not a precious resource, they are. However, growth is going to continue and to think otherwise is for dreamers. The Banning Lewis plan does have open space and trails, though I admit it will not be native habitat enough for the wildlife. Yet, it will most likely have open-space design elements superior to the historical effect of the majority of COS's poor (from a wildlife sanctuary perspective) urban planning. Short of restricting future growth, this is but one of the costs of urbanization.

Also in the news, some info on Banning Lewis parks and the upcoming mill levy for BL residents. From the Gazette: http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1328385&secid=1#/ (broken link)

Chris

[lynxcr]

Article or Editorial, doesn't really matter. All I'm stating is that the media (news paper, radio, magazine, etc...) is only hear for really two things - to give truth and to cause controversy. I'm just glad that they are going to have different school types. I do agree with the previous comment. We live in a much desired city/geographical area, and to think that such growth wouldn't happen is absurd. I also wish that a little more land would be preserved, because I've seen Colorado Springs grow so much just since I've lived here. But I'm also a Realist, and it just obvious that Colorado Springs will become the next metroplex.

[INtoCOinJuly]

I live in Woodmen Hills, which is also D49, and I pass by the proposed area of Banning Lewis quite often. (last I knew, they had not been given the official "go ahead" to build houses yet) First off, as with all the subdivisions out here, you may or may not get a view of the range. We are one of the lucky ones and we have a gorgeous view. Most of my friends out here do not. You have to make sure your house in the right spot for a good view.

Second...I have friends with kids in Banning Lewis Charter School...actually I should say I have friends who USED to have kids there! The parents are pulling their kids out like crazy! Our Elementary School is seeing many students come back and their parents are not happy with their Banning Lewis experience! Before you enroll your kids there, I would check out what MOSAIC (the agency that runs the charter school) is all about. I did not think it was a good program.

As for the High School, D49 is currently building a new High School and has plans for additional construction on other schools. I know there is a proposed third high school for the area, but I don't think there is a time frame (and this may be different from the proposed Banning Lewis High School). You can go to the D49 website (www.d49.org) for more info on that.

Now that we are here, I can say that there are some wonderful places to live. We really like Woodmen Hills and Meridian Ranch is right next door...it is also very nice. We really like D49 schools (my kids came from advanced magnet schools) and find the teachers to be wonderful! The schools are a bit crowded right now, but that has not prevented our kids from getting a wonderful education. It is definitely a "small town" feeling out here! We also like the Black Forest Area...it is absolutely GORGEOUS and full of big trees! It's the D20 school district, which is supposedly one of the best in the state.

I would stay away from Banning Lewis...there are so many better options!
Just my two cents :-)

[Mike from back east]

Going only on HEARSAY.....these are the unflattering things I've heard about the Banning-Lewis effort....

- Main developer(s) is a CA firm... with a CA mentality... cram lots of homes VERY close together... like they did in California... rigid mindset... go with what you know... don't dare to be different..or better...

- Builders are NOT paying realtors for new home sales. In that case, why should a realtor bring a client to see this place? Generally, realtors get a commission for bringing in clients that buy a NEW home here. Having used a realtor who specializes in the Colorado Springs new homes market, and who worked exclusively for ME, we avoided buying from so-so builders with possibly poor quality or poor after-sale support. Buyers need all the help they can get in these matters.

Myself, I think the whole approach for this large piece of land is all wrong, i.e., cram TONS of small homes VERY close together... whole intent seems to maximize profit with no regard for anything else. Rape the land. Rape the people. Profits are fine, but the County has an obligation to achieve it's goals too... whatever those goals might be.... hopefully they include getting all of the infrastructure costs covered up front, costs for roads, schools, fire & police coverage, sewerage, utilities, landfill matters, etc.

As a retiree, I'm hoping one of these huge plots of land like Banning-Lewis would be turned into a retiree towns, like a Sun City, as built by Del Webb(now a part of Pulte). I've seen the new Sun City places in AZ, TX and VA and they are fine. I love driving a golf cart to the local coffee shop or restaurant, so very civilized.

Colorado is overlooking the impending mass of 60 million baby boomer retirees, which I'm on the front end of. We bring big money out of high cost coastal areas (east and west) and look for a different pace of life. A retiree town that stands on it's own can do that, but there really aren't any here in CO, despite the nice climate. Great thing about us retirees is that we don't need jobs (no need for city council to give tax break$ to industry to come here) and since we don't need jobs, we don't clog any roads at rush hour, so no need for extra lanes. We don't need schools for kids, that happened a generation ago - and make no mistake, schools are about 50% of most city and county budgets. We aren't rowdy either, so don't need that much in the way of police, courts and jails. Our pension checks don't bounce, and our jobs (get up, eat, play, surf the net) don't go overseas. So, where is an aspiring billionaire wannabe with a 5000-10,000 acre plot of land that wants to build Sun City Colorado?

s/Mike from back east

[ceadda]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Myself, I think the whole approach for this large piece of land is all wrong, i.e., cram TONS of small homes VERY close together... whole intent seems to maximize profit with no regard for anything else. Rape the land. Rape the people. Profits are fine, but the County has an obligation to achieve it's goals too... whatever those goals might be.... hopefully they include getting all of the infrastructure costs covered up front, costs for roads, schools, fire & police coverage, sewerage, utilities, landfill matters, etc.

I agree with you Mike. I would never live in one of those postage stamp boxes out there. I would rather live in a 30 year old home right in the middle of town with a decent size lot for my kids and dogs than out there. There are so many new homes being built in Colorado Springs, I have to wonder what the breaking point is? When do we have so many new homes that they stop selling? Anyway...I believe in progress but I'm afraid Banning-Lewis is anything but progress. I think it will probably be an ugly blight on our city.

As active as Pulte is here in Colorado Springs, you would think they would have considered the "SUN CITY" concept. I think they are probably afraid that people would not come because of the snow and the colder winters. I wonder if they are concerned that people won't come because of the (perceived) harsh winters?

[Mike from back east]

Article in The Gazette on 24 Feb indicates the developer has asked the COS Mayor and City Council to delay by 2 years a wastewater treatment plant that was due to go on-line in 2012, when 3,000 homes were due to be in-place. Developer now says 2014 at the earliest, maybe 2015. The developer now expects only about 1500 homes to be built by 2012.

Good. With 5000+ homes now on the market here in COS, any massive new project at this time seems headed for trouble.

The developer cites 3 reasons for the delay:
- Slow real estate market. No kidding, it's that way all over these days.
- Competition from nearby development. The hometown builders are no slouches, building great houses at good prices.
- Cold weather that froze the ground deeply enough to prevent digging the trenches for the utility lines.

B-L Ranch was targeted to have 175,000 residents by year 2050. This huge piece of land has changed hands more times than a cheap bottle of wine at a hobo convention. With the convoluted history of that property, who knows what the outcome will be.