ELBERT COUNTY, Colo. — Nearly 1,000 homes are proposed for unincorporated Elbert County in a project that has locals worried about water, roads and their small-town character.
Blue Sky Ranch, planned south of County Road 162 and west of County Road 29, calls for 948 homes on 970 acres.
Residents gathered Wednesday in Kiowa for a community meeting with the project's developer to share their concerns and learn more about the proposal.
That's where Denver7 met Laura Atkins, who said she moved to the area specifically for what it offered.
"We moved out here for the rural community, the small town feel, the small schools," she said.
Fred Hudson said he and his family made a similar choice back in 1989.
"We moved out here, my wife and I and family, because we wanted the country lifestyle," Hudson said.
Both residents believe that lifestyle is now under threat with the Blue Sky Ranch proposal.
"It seems like the country lifestyle is fading away," Hudson said.
Those like Hudson are worried about the strain the development would place on local resources, including water, roads and emergency services.
The project's developer said they've worked to address community concerns by reducing the proposed density by more than 30% from the original plan and including larger lots along the edges of the property. They also said water for Blue Sky Ranch will dip into a deeper aquifer than surrounding homes.
Despite those changes, Atkins said the project still represents too much of a departure from what drew residents to Elbert County in the first place.
"It's just getting really, really difficult to have faith in our county that we're going to remain rural and remain a small town," she said.
There is a public hearing for Blue Sky Ranch in front of Elbert County's Planning Commission scheduled for April 7.
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