Residents in Eagle, Colorado are battling to stop a huge “mixed-use” project from swallowing up their town as they know it. Sprawl-Busters received the following report from residents in Eagle “The Citizens for the Future of Eagle (CFE), a local grassroots community group in Eagle, is fighting a proposed one-million plus square foot mixed-use project called “Eagle River Station,” which would be located at the gateway to it’s community. Kansas City and Georgia based Trinity/Red Development’s proposal is a 615,000 square foot “lifestyle center” with two big-box anchors, 34,000 square feet of highway commercial space, a 260,000 square foot private Christian school, a 150-room hotel, and 581 residential units. The 100 acre development will require 2,200 hundred new jobs to be filled in a community of just over 5,000 residents. Eagle already has five
business districts (including a $5 million dollar newly renovated downtown) all of which currently suffer from worker shortages and some vacant stores. The 580 residential units, if filled to capacity, have the potential to increase Eagle’s overall population by 30%, taxing local services and public schools. Eagle River Station (ERS) will generate 27,000 car tips per day. A traffic study estimated the traffic on Interstate-70 will increase 30% to 40%, however the study doesn’t take into account for any of the traffic that will occur on Highway 6 once the “proposed” public high school gets built on the far east of that same property. The Eagle Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the original zoning application for the development last November for being non-compliant with Eagle’s Area Community Plan (EACP). The CFE is making the point that within
their most recent proposal, ERS is still not in compliance with the EACP. The EACP states “concentrate development in and around the Town of Eagle maintaining the existing small town, non-resort atmosphere of the town” and “maintain traditional, rural small town development patterns and architectural style.” ERS is essentially building” a new town” two miles from the heart of downtown. Regarding wildlife issues, the property has been home to elk herds, cattle, horse and sheep for years. Elk annually migrate to the property during the winter months and can often be seen there daily. The development will cut off their corridor from the north and south. Furthermore, the development will require $66.8 million in infrastructure improvements and
although the developer is claiming that they are “paying their own way” those improvements will actually be funded by Eagle taxpayers (and shoppers) and the town would wind up paying the developer $5.4 million from the tax revenues generated from the development for the next 20-years. In addition to stopping the massive “Eagle River Station” development, the CFE has formed a committee of proactive citizens and business owners dedicated to collaboration with the citizens of Eagle, the EACP Advisory Committee, the Business Community, The Eagle Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Eagle and Eagle County, in order to develop short and long-term ideas which will stimulate Eagle’s economy and enhance its community character.”
The CFE is currently encouraging local people to turn out to the March 20th, 7pm Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at Town Hall and to come to all subsequent meetings. More importantly, it is important that the town’s planning commissioners, The Town Board of Trustees and the developer, Vince Riggio, hear the concerns of residents and opposition to this project. Also, we encourage you to email the Town of Eagle at toe@townofeagle.org, their town planner, planner@townofeagle.org the Vail Daily newspaper at editor@vaildaily.com and the CFE at noboxineagle@aol.com. These projects are called “lifestyle” centers because the developer needs it to ehance his lifestyle.
