GOLDEN — South Jefferson County will soon see an indoor beach volleyball event center along with a restaurant and brew pub after county commissioners voted Tuesday to approve rezoning a parcel of land next to Jared’s Nursery.
Commissioners were split but passed the measure with some conditions with a 2-1 vote. Board Chairman Casey Tighe voted against the measure with Don Rosier and Libby Szabo siding with the applicant, Loren Bauman, a co-owner at Jared’s.
The event center will be built at the intersection of West Bowles Avenue and South Oak Street and include a 27,000-square-foot building with 5,000 of it going toward the restaurant and brew pub, with hours from about noon to 10:30 p.m. The .
Dozens of people living near the area came to the meeting to speak against the site, citing concerns about noise, parking, alcohol consumption, lighting and previous offenses by Bauman.
“We are opposed to the events center because of the real impacts to homeowners and the quality of life of the homeowners,” resident Al Nemes said during public comment.
The nearby Light of the World Roman Catholic Church was also opposed to the rezoning, stating problems in the past with Bauman and Jared’s Nursery. Father Michael Pavlakovich spoke at the meeting stating that he represented 10,000 parishioners who were opposed.
“Loren suggests that a brew pub and volleyball would be great for kids — I don’t see how alcohol would be great for kids,” he said.
Baumann said the center would be good for the community and that local schools could use the courts for volleyball teams or for training for other sports.
Jefferson County staff had recommended that commissioners approve the rezoning based on Baumann changing some of the plans, however the Jefferson County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that commissioners deny the rezoning, stating that it was not in conformance with the South Plains Area Plan.
Rosier asked for and received changes that would eliminate the opportunity for Baumann to construct outdoor courts and limit parking lot light structures to 12 feet tall rather than 20.
He compared the facility to the Ridge Recreation Center and Edge Ice Arena near his home, saying that while they create noise and trash, it’s good for the community. He also sided with staff that the site would fit in the comprehensive plan if Baumann was able to mitigate some of the concerns.
“The benefits outweigh the negatives in my mind,” Rosier said.
Szabo agreed, but Tighe did not and unsuccessfully attempted to sway one of his fellow commissioners. Tighe sided with the Planning Commission in that the project did not fit in with the area.
Baumann said he was a little shocked that the rezoning passed but happy to move forward.
He has no timetable to begin construction and is still fundraising for the project.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
