Land for Sale in Empire, Colorado, United States

County identifies this area as a unique opportunity to create a regional gateway suitable for mixed-use development adjacent to a multi-modal transit node. Douglas Mountain Ranch is located at the intersection of Clear Creek Greenway and Western Clear Creek Trail providing access to the Continental Divide, Western Slope Communities and over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park and Grand County. Clear Creek County’s goal is to encourage Major County Gateway developments including Douglas Mountain Ranch supporting higher densities with economic diversification to allow for lower densities and open space in the surrounding area. Development opportunities here are viewed as separate from the Town of Empire, but within the 3 mile influence area of Empire. The property is identified as within the Clear Creek County enterprise Zone. Opportunities to round out mountain community needs include an emergency care medical center, satellite college campus, workforce housing, middle income second home housing, hotel and support retail. CDOT owns a sizable area of land between Hwy 40 and I-70 which is currently used for servicing the highways. There vision however identifies the interchange as a primary intermodal station. To align with that vision CDOT is currently considering relocating the existing Port of Entry from Dumont to Empire Junction. While the future method of transportation is still unknown the location is clear and the demand for services is here today. Site Description The property totals 155 acres more or less. The surveyor has identified two primary areas of development. On the lower area of the site abutting Hwy 40 and Hwy 6 there is approximately 10.1 acres and on the higher plateau there is approximately 42.77 acres. The balance of the site has varying degrees of grade change that may serve the flat areas with access or by allowing increased density but may have limited development potential. These less accessible areas could appeal to the County as open space. Douglas Mountain Ranch is served by wells, shared ditch rights and adjudicated surface water rights in the amount of 175 acre feet annually with the ability to store 525 acre feet on site. These rights provide for a 10 cfs flow. Engineers have estimated the reservoir to support this volume would cover between three and ten acre and depending on the plans could be treated as an architectural lake to complement a development. Costs associated with building the reservoir could be mitigate to some extend with further study of the volume of gravel. The site is served by power, phone and fiber optic cable and 2” compressed gas. Sewer options would have to be address and may include connecting to the Town of Empire’s treatment plant or package plant alternatives.