JEFFERSON COUNTY — Members of the public concerned about the rezoning of Applewood Golf Course packed a community meeting beyond capacity at Manning Middle School’s auditorium near Golden on Tuesday night.
Many people in attendance were not allowed into the auditorium, which had reached its capacity of 300 or so people before the presentation began. Due to the high level of interest, a second meeting will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks, said Alan Tiefenbach, Jefferson County’s planner on the case to rezone the course’s property. A date and time was not immediately announced.
“We’re all here expressing our opposition to redevelopment of this land and changing rezoning residential development,” said Applewood area resident Ron Busterud, who was at the meeting handing out opposition signs and e-mail sign-up forms. He estimated that he and others in opposition came with nearly 1,000 signs reading “No redevelopment of Applewood Golf Course” and they were all gone by the night’s end.
MolsonCoors owns 145 acres of land that include and surround . Local developer Carlson Associates is under contract to purchase the land and filed a preliminary request to rezone the property for residential development, a process that begins with a community input meeting, held Tuesday night at the school.
about the loss of their neighborhood golf course and the impacts a proposed 454 homes would have on local traffic, schools, property values and wildlife.
Kent Carlson of Carlson Associates was at the meeting and fielded questions after his company presented its plan. He said after the meeting that if it does not get approval on residential rezoning, his company will move forward with development under current zoning.
“I think it is better for the community if we rezone,” Carlson said. His company’s plans include re-engineering of 32nd Avenue to fix traffic issues and a community park as part of the development.
However, area residents in attendance were not quick to latch onto those contingencies.
Scott Epstein is on the board of the Applewood Property Owners Association and was able to get into the meeting. He said that Carlson Associates presented with a “cowboy attitude” that issued “empty threats” about the alternatives to residential development.
Area resident Emily Melancon seemed to agree as she looked at a display outside the meeting that listed the types of development allowed under the property’s current zoning. Those uses included a foundry, a power plant, a veterinary hospital and railroad facilities, among others.
“They’re trying to scare us,” she said.
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier
