A key entryway to the Grand Valley, Orchard Mesa is often considered
a drive-through rather than drive-to destination. The Highway 50 corridor’s
variety of highway-oriented services and local businesses could serve
residents and nonresidents alike.
A guiding principle of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan identifies
the Grand Junction area as a Regional Center, “a provider of
diverse goods and services and residential neighborhoods… (and)
a community that provides strong health, education and other regional
services.”
Orchard Mesa’s farms, the CSU Western Colorado Research
Center, and a variety of agricultural businesses are important to
the character and local economy. Agricultural uses on Orchard Mesa
include on-farm residences, orchards, vineyards, row crops, pasture,
vegetable/row crops, farmers’ markets, and roadside stands.
The Palisade Fruit and Wine Byway has brought added attention to the
area and has increased interest in a variety of agritourism opportunities.
The Byway includes signage and kiosks directing bicyclists and motorists
touring the orchards and wineries of Orchard Mesa along a 25-mile
loop route starting at 32 and C Roads.
Orchard Mesa has experienced a high turn-over of businesses
over the years. Recent examples include the closure of the Choice
Hotels call center and relocation of Wheeling Corrugating. The turnover
rate is reflected in Orchard Mesa’s higher commercial vacancy
rate, as compared to other areas of Grand Junction (Appendix Map 3).
Nearly half of Orchard Mesa’s nonresidential structures were
built in the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately a quarter are less than
25 years old. Orchard Mesa has about 405 acres and 760,687 square
feet of commercial space, and about 109 acres and 153,182 square feet
of industrial floor area (Table 6). The largest employment sector,
both by number of employees and by number of businesses, is service,
while medical is the smallest sector, an indicator of the lack of
medical care on Orchard Mesa (Table 7).
The Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce visited 65 Orchard Mesa
businesses during the summer of 2013 and found the current businesses
were generally stable and cautious about the future. The diverse businesses
in the area provide a good core with the potential to expand. Many
expressed a need for better marketing ideas for Orchard Mesa.
Table 6: Orchard Mesa Commercial and Industrial Uses by Zoning
|
---|
Zone
|
Commercial Use
|
Vacant
|
Building
|
Industrial Use
|
Vacant
|
Building
|
---|
# Lots
|
Acres
|
# Lots
|
Acres
|
Sq. Ft.
|
# Lots
|
Acres
|
# Lots
|
Acres
|
Sq. Ft.
|
---|
AFT
|
5
|
40.4
|
1
|
2.1
|
17,966
|
1
|
8.9
|
0
|
0
|
5,876
|
RSFR
|
1
|
13.7
|
0
|
0
|
7,366
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
RSF4
|
4
|
10.6
|
0
|
0
|
5,516
|
1
|
13.7
|
0
|
0
|
7,366
|
R8
|
3
|
3.2
|
0
|
0
|
8,768
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
PUD
|
6
|
147
|
0
|
0
|
48,758
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
103,238
|
B2
|
3
|
2.5
|
1
|
0.3
|
6,365
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
C-1
|
113
|
105.5
|
36
|
32.7
|
465,242
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
C-2
|
25
|
45.3
|
6
|
20.5
|
123,542
|
3
|
31.2
|
0
|
0
|
36,702
|
I-1
|
1
|
0.1
|
0
|
0
|
120
|
14
|
50.5
|
14
|
50.5
|
0
|
I-2
|
2
|
37.2
|
1
|
5.4
|
77,044
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Total
|
163
|
405.5
|
45
|
61
|
760,687
|
21
|
109.3
|
14
|
50.5
|
153,182
|
Source: Mesa County Assessor’s 2013 Records; GIS
|
Table 7: 2010 Orchard Mesa Employment by Sector
|
---|
Sector
|
Employees
|
Employers
|
---|
Base
|
535
|
113
|
Service
|
1,538
|
200
|
Retail
|
604
|
70
|
Medical
|
86
|
14
|
Total
|
2,763
|
397
|
Source: Info USA; Colorado Department of Labor
|
The Mesa County Fairgrounds and Whitewater Hill recreation and
training facilities have great potential to be catalysts for new and
expanded businesses and services such as lodging, restaurants, and
other support businesses. The public safety training facility will
be one-of-a-kind on the Western Slope, and the drag-way, trap club
and airplane modeleers club all host regional and even State-level
events (Appendix Map 10).
Orchard Mesa’s recreational facilities and surrounding
public lands also attract visitors who can contribute to the local
economy: e.g., Chipeta Golf Course, bowling lanes, Orchard Mesa Pool,
Orchard Mesa Little League Park, Riverfront Trail, Colorado and Gunnison
rivers, the Old Spanish Trail, and the BLM public lands.
Another important Orchard Mesa asset is the Business Incubator
Center, “The Grand Valley’s Center for Entrepreneurship,”
located along the Gunnison River near the confluence with the Colorado
River. According to their website:
The Center offers comprehensive services to businesses through
the collaborative efforts of four programs. The Business Incubator
Center provides business coaching and workshops through the Small
Business Development Center (SBDC), financial support through the
Business Loan Fund of Mesa County, hands-on business development through
the Incubator Program and tax credits for investment and job creation
through the Enterprise Zone.
Other potential opportunities for business development on Orchard
Mesa include:
•
|
Commercial and business pads and infrastructure in place for
new and expanded businesses along Highway 50.
|
•
|
Enterprise Zone – much of the Highway 50 corridor
is eligible for tax credits for business investment/expansion. Most
of the rural area is an Agricultural Enterprise Zone. (Appendix Map
11)
|
•
|
Artesian Hotel site – good water source for bottling
company or similar business.
|
•
|
Confluence Point – proper zoning for a variety of
commercial development with the best view of the confluence of the
rivers.
|
•
|
The eventual connection of 29 Road to I-70 will provide easier
access to Orchard Mesa for travelers.
|
•
|
The growing and diverse agritourism and outdoor and fairgrounds-oriented
recreation industries.
|
•
|
Promoting site development and marketing of health services
and facilities on Orchard Mesa.
|
(Ord. 4629, 5-7-14)