Paintball part of colorful future for former Holcim land

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

It's been one year since Holcim Inc. sold 3,000 acres of its former cement plant operation at public auction in Fort Collins. The land north of LaPorte looks much the same as a year ago, but changes are on the way.

A large indoor paintball arena could be the first project developed on the property. Jim Quinlan, president of Jax Outdoor Gear and Jax Farm & Ranch, purchased a 35-acre parcel at the auction that includes several office and laboratory buildings. He plans to use a 35,000-square-foot building for a new business, Thunderdome Paintball, which Quinlan says will be the largest indoor paintball range in Colorado.

Holcim used the dome-shaped building for storing clinker, an intermediate product in the cement-making process, according to county planner David Karan. Quinlan said he plans to open the paintball arena as soon as he receives county approval.

Quinlan is also seeking permission to build a small horse-boarding facility at the property sometime in the future. Both recreational and agricultural uses are allowed at the site by special review.

Larimer County's planning staff has been working with Quinlan on the project, and it could be reviewed by the LaPorte Area Planning Advisory Committee before the end of the year. The county commissioners give final approval. Karan said the average length of time for a special review is 12 months.

Homes on horizon

Meanwhile, Mile Hi Investments president Mark Goldstein is pursuing residential possibilities for the 232 acres he and partners bought at last year's auction. The company is also looking at increasing its holdings by purchasing neighboring properties. The goal, he said, is to make a bigger project with priorities of "preserving open space and maintaining the rural feel of the LaPorte area." Goldstein said he wants his project to be "a nice contribution to the area."

Goldstein said it's too soon to say how many homesites his development could include. He's looking at several different planning options, including the Rural Land Use Process or the use of transferable density units. TDUs could enable him to develop more densely than current zoning allows, by transferring the residential density allowed elsewhere in the county to the former Holcim property. TDUs are designed to preserve open space in desirable areas, by transferring development rights to other areas. TDUs were used previously in Larimer County in the Fossil Creek Reservoir area.

The county commissioners and planning commission have begun policy discussions about TDUs, and commissioner Kathay Rennels said they could develop a general direction by the end of the year. The concept has the potential to be "a big tool" for land use planning, she said.

What Goldstein will be able to do with his property hinges in part on the boundaries of the LaPorte Area Plan. About 1,500 acres auctioned by Holcim lie within the plan boundaries, according to senior planner Rob Helmick. Most of the land that Mile Hi bought at auction lies within the boundaries, allowing for more flexibility in development. However, additional purchases could lie outside the LaPorte planning area.

County planner Matt Lafferty said it would be difficult for Goldstein to create high-density development on any parcels outside the LaPorte Area Plan. It's county policy, he said, not to upzone any property that lies outside growth management areas, such as that described in the LaPorte Area Plan. Upzoning refers to development that's more intense than present zoning allows.

The former Holcim property is zoned O-Open, allowing a so-called conservation development to be considered for land outside the LaPorte Area Plan. That would allow one residence per 10 acres, in a clustered arrangement. The Rural Land Use Process also calls for clustered housing, but the overall density is much less.

One option for denser development would be to expand the LaPorte Area Plan's boundaries, but Lafferty noted that it would be a time-consuming process and would require approval by the county commissioners.

Tim O'Hara is chair of the LaPorte Area Planning and Advisory Committee, which worked on the LaPorte Area Plan for two years. He said he would prefer a well-planned development over "a bunch of junky, individual 35-acre lots. That will happen unless we at least look at some kind of development."

Goldstein has already secured a probable source of water for a subdivision. He has been in contact with the Northern Colorado Water Association, and it's likely that the association could handle a large subdivision, according to manager JoAnn Jordan. NCWA is currently studying the issue in terms of the infrastructure that would be required. Goldstein would have to bring water rights to the project, Jordan noted.

NCWA currently serves customers in the Wellington area.

Numerous 35-acre parcels were purchased at the Holcim auction by individuals planning to build homes on the lots. No information was available as to whether any building permits had been applied for on those parcels.