Jax Thunderdome gets thumbs-up from LAPAC

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

By this spring, paintball enthusiasts may be able to recreate in a new indoor arena near LaPorte. Armed with guns and paintballs, they could even get to ride in Army vehicles from the parking lot to the arena.

Thunderdome Paintball, a project proposed by Jax owner Jim Quinlan, passed its first hurdle in December, winning the nod of the LaPorte Area Planning Advisory Committee.

Quinlan bought a 35-acre parcel in 2005 at the Holcim Inc. auction, and the property includes a large dome-shaped structure in addition to lab and office buildings. He hopes to create Colorado's largest indoor paintball facility at the site.

The county's planning commission could consider the proposal in February, according to senior planner Rob Helmick, and the final decision rests with the county commissioners. If approved, the paintball facility is scheduled to open this spring. The property is located just north of the U.S. 287 bypass around LaPorte.

Quinlan said Thunderdome Paintball would operate only during daytime hours and primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. He plans to divide the dome facility into four sections.

LAPAC chair Tim O'Hara praised Quinlan's operation of his other businesses, noting that Jax Farm & Ranch has been especially beneficial to the LaPorte community.

The LaPorte planning group gave its approval based on three conditions. It recommended that Quinlan establish a process by which noise complaints would be handled if county standards are violated. Commitee members stated that the decision in favor of the Thunderdome project would have no bearing on future land-use recommendations. LAPAC also wants the application to be limited to a particular kind of shooting range, namely an indoor paintball arena.

The property in question is currently zoned O-Open. With that zoning designation, certain uses are allowed automatically while others are allowed by special review. A shooting range falls in the latter category.

While the Thunderdome property does not have to be rezoned now, LAPAC members noted that it would eventually make more sense for the property to be zoned commercial. To do that, the LaPorte Area Plan would have to be revised, a lengthy process. However, O'Hara said, a revision "may come sooner than we all think" given development of the former Holcim property.

If U.S. Highway 287 is realigned to accommodate the proposed Glade Reservoir, some of the former Holcim property could front the new roadway and become useful as commercial property. The Quinlan property is one that would likely be close to a U.S. 287 realignment.