The 24 Road Corridor Subarea Plan (the “Subarea Plan”)
has been developed to articulate a vision, plan and strategy for the
future use and development of the project area, which comprises approximately
1,000 acres in the vicinity of 24 Road between Interstate 70 and the
Mesa Regional Mall on Patterson Road. The Subarea Plan is intended
to assist the City of Grand Junction, utility and service providers,
and property owners in the project area as they plan for the future
use and development of the area, including important infrastructure
investments that will be necessary to serve future development. Figure
ES-1 shows the location of the 24 Road Corridor Subarea.
(Res. 109-00, 11-1-00)
In September, 1999, the City of Grand Junction initiated a planning
process for the 24 Road Corridor. The purpose of this study was to
evaluate current and projected market conditions in the 24 Road Corridor,
formulate and evaluate different land use and development alternatives
for this area and identify a preferred pattern of development and
to formulate an implementation strategy. BRW, Inc., of Denver, a multi-disciplinary
planning and engineering firm, and Leland Consulting Group, an economics
firm, were hired to prepare the study.
The consultant team worked with City staff and a 15-person Council-appointed
Steering Committee, as well as property owners and their representatives,
to examine the issues and options related to development along 24
Road. There were a total of seven workshops conducted by the consultants
with the 24 Road Corridor Steering Committee. The findings, conclusions
and recommendations of the planning process are presented in this
report.
(Res. 109-00, 11-1-00)
The 24 Road Corridor subarea planning process was in part an
outgrowth of public reaction to the zoning proposed in the 1996 Grand
Junction Growth Plan. The primary criticism was voiced by property
owners, who suggested that the zoning proposal was in conflict with
market forces shaping land uses and development patterns along 24
Road. This important issue was then incorporated into the project
scope to evaluate various land uses and development patterns, including
the City-proposed zoning plan, and their concurrence with regional
market forces and community desires.
An additional concern of the property owners is the proposed
expansion of 24 Road from two lanes to three lanes. Once again, the
property owners believe that the expansion is not reflective of demand.
They suggest that 24 Road be expanded to a five-lane boulevard or
parkway, as a catalyst for the intensity of development they believe
will occur in the area.
(Res. 109-00, 11-1-00)
A market study was conducted to quantify demand for various
land uses, including those proposed by the City and those proposed
by the property owners. Growth trends, supported by traffic analysis,
show continued growth, particularly in residential uses, in the northeast
and southwest quadrants of the City. Traffic volumes east and west,
along U.S. Highway 6/50, support commercial land use concentration
along the Corridor.
View to the Colorado Monument from 24 Road
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The City’s concern that large-scale commercial development
might undermine existing activity centers is valid. There appears
to be a sufficient supply of existing commercially zoned land and
built space to meet projected demands over the next 10 years. The
market study concluded that the corridor might receive as much as
a 25 percent share of future nonresidential development, which could
begin to compete with other locations in Grand Junction. To address
this, an important element of the 24 Road Subarea Plan and implementation
will be to limit the types of retail commercial uses in the area.
This would avoid undermining existing regional retail centers while
allowing for neighborhood retail uses and some regional employment/commercial
uses for which there are suitable alternative sites (i.e., large acreage)
in the Grand Junction area. There does not appear to be a conflict
regarding office, industrial and other employment uses.
The market analysis supports the concept of commercial clustering
near Mesa Mall with perhaps some expansion along U.S. Highway 6/50,
due to traffic volumes along the highway. Although it is difficult
to be extremely “location specific” in a market as small
as Grand Junction, very little evidence was found to support the demand
for a significant amount of commercial land uses along 24 Road north
of Patterson. It should be noted, however, that the analysis likewise
does not indicate a significant demand for the amount of land area
dedicated to multifamily uses as proposed in the Growth Plan.
(Res. 109-00, 11-1-00)
The Steering Committee reached a general consensus on the following
features of the “Preferred Plan”:
(a) Vision Statement.
(1) Achieve high quality development in the corridor in terms of land
use, site planning and architectural design.
(2) Provide for market uses that complement existing and desired uses
and benefit the Grand Junction community.
(3) Take advantage of and expand upon existing public facilities in the
corridor to create a “civic” presence.
(4) Achieve a distinctive “parkway” character along the roadway
that can serve as a gateway to the Grand Junction community.
(5) Encourage development that is consistent with the Growth Plan.
(6) Adjust and/or amend the Grand Junction Land Use Code and Growth Plan
to achieve the 24 Road Corridor vision, concept and plan and to create
a predictable environment for future development of the area.
(b) Subarea Plan Concept.
The Subarea Plan is to provide
a land use and transportation framework for future development in
the 24 Road Corridor project area that:
(1) Allows for flexibility in land use (type, intensity and density),
while recognizing inherent differences between development on small
parcels compared with larger parcels.
(2) Establishes a transportation network that interconnects to create
a logical urban pattern.
(3) Establishes a high quality image through zoning, design standards
and public improvements.
(c) Subarea Plan Elements.
(1) Image.
The Subarea Plan is intended to foster the development
of a high quality environment within the corridor that reflects its
importance as a gateway to Grand Junction. Public improvements should
establish this quality within the public realm (road right-of-way
and public open space) and create a “parkway” character.
This overall theme and sense of quality should be carried over to
private sites by applying design standards and guidelines. The Subarea
Plan recognizes that a development “catalyst,” such as
a golf course or recreational facility, would encourage high quality
development as well as contribute positively to the area’s image.
(2) Open Space/Public Facilities.
Canyon View Park already
establishes a “civic” character for the area, as well
as providing valuable open space and recreational facilities. This
character should be continued through the development of 24 Road as
a landscaped parkway, including regional trails connecting the park
and the Colorado River. Future open space/public facilities may include
a golf course or other recreational amenity, which could be developed
as a public/private venture as part of a larger land holding, assemblage
or cooperative venture among smaller landowners.
(3) Circulation.
U.S. Highway 6/50, 24 Road, Patterson Road
and G Road currently comprise the major road network for the area.
Successful development in the future will depend upon the creation
of a secondary road system that provides continuity of travel, access
to sites and alternative routes north/south and east/west in the area.
Future rights-of-way for public streets should be reserved.
Expansion of 24 Road as a five-lane landscaped parkway with
a landscaped median is a key implementation element that should occur
as soon as possible. It will “set the tone” for development
in the area and should be coordinated with Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) plans for the interchange.
(4) Land Use.
Identify the most appropriate uses for different
areas in the 24 Road Corridor, according to the following categories:
(i)
Rural Residential.
Rural residential land north
of I-70 is consistent with the Growth Plan, including the current
church site northwest of the I-70 interchange.
(ii)
Residential.
Low- and medium-density residential
on individual parcels or as part of a planned development.
(iii)
Commercial.
Allow for a commercial node in the
northeast corner of the I-70 interchange, as well as expansion of
commercial uses adjacent to the Mesa Mall area.
(iv)
Industrial.
Continue industrial uses in the western
sector between G Road and U.S. Highway 6/50.
(v)
Park/Open Space.
Existing open space includes
the existing Canyon View Park. Future public open space will be along
the Leach Creek corridor connecting to the Colorado River trail and
open space corridor.
(vi)
Planned Development.
Planned development in the
remaining areas should include a mixture of uses: employment, residential
and open space. Retail commercial may be appropriate in the form of
nodal development (such as 24 Road and G Road).
Although specific site development plans have not yet been approved
for properties in this area, they will need to be approved as part
of the City review process, which will rely in part on a comprehensive
set of design standards and guidelines.
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Owners of small parcels will be required to follow existing
zoning or combine their property with others to take advantage of
this designation. The expectation is that the development quality
of the area will be high and will be an appropriate western gateway
to Grand Junction.
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Figure ES-2: “Preferred Plan”
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Existing agricultural lands west of 24 Road
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(Res. 109-00, 11-1-00)
The 24 Road Corridor Subarea Plan (the “Subarea Plan”)
has been developed to articulate a vision, plan and strategy for the
future use and development of the project area, which comprises approximately
1,000 acres in the vicinity of 24 Road between Interstate 70 and the
Mesa Regional Mall on Patterson Road. The Subarea Plan is intended
to assist the City of Grand Junction, utility and service providers,
and property owners in the project area as they plan for the future
use and development of the area, including important infrastructure
investments that will be necessary to serve future development.
Impetus for the Corridor Subarea Plan was initiated by the City
to refine the concepts in the 1996 City of Grand Junction Growth Plan
and the different perspectives for development represented by the
Growth Plan, property owners, and the community.
This report presents the resulting conclusions and implementation
of the four-month planning effort, which included:
(a) An extensive public participation program involving property owners
in the corridor, as well as others in the community.
(b) A market study of existing and future supply and demand for commercial
and residential development for the entire urbanized area.
(c) An analysis of available commercial lands within the urbanized area.
(d) An analysis of environmental conditions within the corridor.
(e) An analysis of infrastructure availability and capacity within the
corridor.
(f) Development of alternative land use plans for the corridor.
(g) Evaluation of the alternatives.
(h) Selection of a preferred plan.
(i) Recommended implementation actions.
Existing agricultural land in the 24 Road Corridor Subarea
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Figure 1: General Location Map
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(Res. 109-00 § 1, 11-1-00)