By Justin George
Camera Staff Writer

JEFFERSON COUNTY — A group of Arvada residents, Sierra Club members and mountain-home owners began a petition drive Thursday to stop a 90-home subdivision planned along the foothills next to an $8.75 million city of Boulder open space investment.

Development opponents said the controversial Canyon Pines project, planned on 190 acres at the mouth of Coal Creek Canyon west of Colo. 93 and north of Colo. 72, would scar an untouched mountain backdrop, with "mansions" on ridges visible from scenic Colo. 93.

"There are some things worth saving," said Dave Chandler, an Arvada resident and chair of the Sierra Club-Rachel Carson Group. "This is one of those precious things."

The group, supported by Boulder County's Sierra Club Indian Peaks chapter, is among several organizations that are attempting to secure enough signatures to force Arvada's annexation of the disputed property onto November's ballot.

Canyon Pines' developer, Diana Ten Eyck, disputed the visual impact of her project, saying that only nine homes would be seen from Colo. 93. The rest of the neighborhood will be tucked away, she said.

"I think it's important to preserve visual corridors," Ten Eyck said, "but what has been lost among the noise is that for the most part, the houses are not visible."

The Ten Eyck property, 15 miles from downtown Boulder, lies next to 1,500 acres the city bought and preserved for open space in 1999.

It was originally part of an 18,000-acre development project known as the Jefferson Center, which would have been larger in size than the city of Boulder. But the project, envisioned more than a decade ago, fell through.

In 1997, the Arvada City Council approved the annexation of the Ten Eyck property but lowered the number of homes Ten Eyck wanted to build from 95 homes to 60.

Ten Eyck sued, and a 1998 settlement allowed her to build 90 homes.

The same year, a group of Arvada residents, wishing to save the mountain backdrop, filed a notice of intent to petition for signatures that could legally overturn the City Council's annexation and give voters the power to decide on it.

But Arvada officials denied the group's request, arguing that the statute of limitations to appeal had run out. This year, the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed the right of Arvada residents to use the petition process.

They need to collect signatures from 5 percent of Arvada voters, or about 3,400 people, to succeed.

Petitioners said they would support Canyon Pines if its plans called for about 60 homes, all hidden from view. They said the development is poorly planned because its site sits about six miles west of Arvada and would cost residents too much to supply it with water and sewer services. They also said the area is prone to wildfires.

Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman, who cast the only dissenting vote when the City Council approved the layout of the 90-home Ten Eyck project last year, disputed many concerns. He said developers are required to pay for water and sewer services. But he said he is against building on the beautiful mountain ridges.

"That is the reason why I voted against it," Fellman said. "I didn't want to see any homes visible from anyone driving down Colo. 93 looking west."

Boulder Mayor Will Toor said that, in general, he supports preserving mountain backdrops. But Boulder officials say they are unwilling to buy the property for open space preservation.

May 31, 2002

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