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Authority’s space-available inventory nears completion
Norma Engelberg
The property, land and space inventory covering the Woodland Park area is 90 percent complete.
That’s the word from Bob Harvey, the Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority’s projects manager.
At the authority’s regular Dec. 2 board meeting, Harvey showed the board the kinds of information provided by CoStar, an online provider of real estate information.
“There are some holes in the information but we’ve talked to the owners and the system can be tweaked to provide what we need for under $100 a month,” Harvey said. “Already we’re learning things that might make it more attractive for local property owners to lower their rates.”
A marketing study has commenced and a marketing survey is being created for a late December unveiling, setting January for the response time. Notices of the online survey will be given out with city utility bills, Park State Bank & Trust statements and newspapers.
“We’re already finding out important information about the local market,” Harvey said. “For example, people in Teller County buy more than $5 million worth of furniture each year. That might be a market to target. We want to provide good, solid information can help local businesses target their markets better.”
Authority executive director Beth Kosley announced that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has approved a voluntary clean-up program for dealing with benzene contamination on the Woodland Station development site.
City manager David Buttery said there are a number of ways the chemical can be remedied, none of which involves removing and replacing contaminated soil.
“They might have to install ventilators or vapor barriers,” he said.
“We just have to make sure these steps are part of the developer contracts so they can be implemented,” Kosley said, adding that developers already know about the requirements.
With state approval, the program must be initiated within 12 month and developers have another 12 months to complete it.
“[Consultant Matrix Design Group] is researching the state’s deadline extension process,” Kosley said. “Each developer will be at a different stage so deadlines will likely trip us up.”
Big O Tires has moved to its new building behind Sonic and McDonald’s but the old building on U.S. 24 will not be removed and rebuilt anytime soon. Harvey is looking for non-automotive businesses that might be able to use the property.
“If they tear down the building the site loses value,” Kosley said.
Board treasurer Al Born added, “That wouldn’t have much affect on us but it could be a hardship for the other entities that collect taxes on that property.”
“That wasn’t what we wanted to do,” said board member Jon DeVaux. “You slap a coat of paint on an old gas station and it still looks like an old gas station.”
Born said a long-term plan to add this lot to an assemblage of nearby lots would give more impetus to buyers once Woodland Station is completed.
Kosley announced that a new higher-end antique business is opening next door to the authority office and that another business will be opening in the authority’s office space.
“We thought we might have to move out right after Thanksgiving but that deadline has been loosened,” she said. “We’re still working on where the DDA office will be going.”
Buttery said the owners of the empty Traveler’s Gourmet building plan to re-open a gas station using the existing structure and that the owners of Fortune Dragon, which was gutted by fire a few months ago, are almost ready to re-open.
The property, land and space inventory covering the Woodland Park area is 90 percent complete.
That’s the word from Bob Harvey, the Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority’s projects manager.
At the authority’s regular Dec. 2 board meeting, Harvey showed the board the kinds of information provided by CoStar, an online provider of real estate information.
“There are some holes in the information but we’ve talked to the owners and the system can be tweaked to provide what we need for under $100 a month,” Harvey said. “Already we’re learning things that might make it more attractive for local property owners to lower their rates.”
A marketing study has commenced and a marketing survey is being created for a late December unveiling, setting January for the response time. Notices of the online survey will be given out with city utility bills, Park State Bank & Trust statements and newspapers.
“We’re already finding out important information about the local market,” Harvey said. “For example, people in Teller County buy more than $5 million worth of furniture each year. That might be a market to target. We want to provide good, solid information can help local businesses target their markets better.”
Authority executive director Beth Kosley announced that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has approved a voluntary clean-up program for dealing with benzene contamination on the Woodland Station development site.
City manager David Buttery said there are a number of ways the chemical can be remedied, none of which involves removing and replacing contaminated soil.
“They might have to install ventilators or vapor barriers,” he said.
“We just have to make sure these steps are part of the developer contracts so they can be implemented,” Kosley said, adding that developers already know about the requirements.
With state approval, the program must be initiated within 12 month and developers have another 12 months to complete it.
“[Consultant Matrix Design Group] is researching the state’s deadline extension process,” Kosley said. “Each developer will be at a different stage so deadlines will likely trip us up.”
Big O Tires has moved to its new building behind Sonic and McDonald’s but the old building on U.S. 24 will not be removed and rebuilt anytime soon. Harvey is looking for non-automotive businesses that might be able to use the property.
“If they tear down the building the site loses value,” Kosley said.
Board treasurer Al Born added, “That wouldn’t have much affect on us but it could be a hardship for the other entities that collect taxes on that property.”
“That wasn’t what we wanted to do,” said board member Jon DeVaux. “You slap a coat of paint on an old gas station and it still looks like an old gas station.”
Born said a long-term plan to add this lot to an assemblage of nearby lots would give more impetus to buyers once Woodland Station is completed.
Kosley announced that a new higher-end antique business is opening next door to the authority office and that another business will be opening in the authority’s office space.
“We thought we might have to move out right after Thanksgiving but that deadline has been loosened,” she said. “We’re still working on where the DDA office will be going.”
Buttery said the owners of the empty Traveler’s Gourmet building plan to re-open a gas station using the existing structure and that the owners of Fortune Dragon, which was gutted by fire a few months ago, are almost ready to re-open.
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