Write A Letter To the Jeffco Planning Commission

Below, we have provided several sample emails which you can cut and paste into the form below to send to the Jeffco Planning Commission if you are running short on time. If you would like to make your letter more personal, which we encourage, we have provided many talking points below that you can cut and paste into your letter as you see fit and then add your own personal points or personal stories. Please remember there are only five criteria the Planning Commission can look at to deny the proposal so please tie all of your points to these five reasons – you can see examples of this in our sample emails.

There are only five criteria the Planning Commission can consider for approving, conditionally approving or denying the application:

1) The compatibility with the existing and allowable land uses in the surrounding area.

2) The degree of conformance with applicable land use plans. You can view the Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan here.

3) The ability to mitigate negative impacts upon the surrounding area.

4) The availability of infrastructure and service.

5) The effect upon the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and landowners in the surrounding area.

Sample emails

You can copy and paste the sample email text into the “your email” box below if you are short on time. If you have the time a personal email is better, you can use the talking points below and add your own thoughts are personal stories.

I am writing to you in opposition to the lift-access commercial bike park proposed for Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer, currently known as Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

The proposal is absolutely not compatible with existing and allowable land uses in the surrounding area. The property is located in an area of stability, is zoned A2 for agriculture and is surrounded by residential zoned properties as well as conserved land. The closest commercial property is two miles away off Highway 73 and Barkley Road.

Mountain Residential Zone Districts, which the proposed property is part of, are intended to provide for low to medium density residential development including both single-family and two-family dwellings, as well as some agricultural uses where compatible – but not commercial enterprises.

As is made clear in the definition of “area of stability”, the proposed facility on Shadow Mountain Drive is not consistent with the character, scale, uses and typical lot sizes of the properties in the general vicinity of the proposed development.

In addition, the proposed bike park fails to meet far too many other standards required by Jefferson County – including increasing the chances for a catastrophic wildfire threatening the homes and lives of residents, a level of increased traffic certain to raise the number of car crashes and threaten lives, the overload of emergency response teams due to the guaranteed injuries of downhill mountain biking, and adequately disposing the waste for 700 expected people daily that could easily pollute or deplete community water wells and devastate the wildlife population and ecosystem.

For all of these exceedingly clear reasons, I urge the County to deny the developers application for a special use permit to build a lift-access commercial bike park on winding Shadow Mountain Drive in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

I am writing to you in opposition to the lift-access commercial bike park proposed for Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer, currently known as Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

The proposed bike park clearly contradicts the considered recommendations of current land use plans, most specifically the conclusions in the recently updated (by Jefferson County Planning and Zoning) Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan component of the Jefferson County Comprehensive Master Plan.

The area plan states that “wildfire awareness and mitigation efforts are imperative. Protection of life and property from hazards needs to be considered in examining development locations. It is a question of when, not if, a wildfire will strike.” The proposed bike park location is an “extreme” fire danger area which is the highest wildfire-risk rating. Data from Wildland Fire Management Information (WFMI) and the U.S. Forest Service Research Data Archive, shows that nearly 84 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans, and the bike park would add nearly 5000 potential fire igniters weekly that were not there before.

The area plan also calls for protecting important wildlife habitats and wildlife corridors, preserving visual amenities and historic sites, maintaining the agricultural and ranching heritage of the community, and reducing the threat to life and property by avoiding development in natural hazard areas. Management of recreational facilities should be responsible for providing law enforcement, fire, and rescue operations. The local volunteer groups and the County Sheriff should not be expected to provide these services unless appropriate contractual arrangements have been made with these service providers.

The area plan calls for preserving the unique mountain character of the corridor, specifically no development on mountain meadows. The proposed bike park base and lodge area would destroy one of Conifer’s most pristine mountain meadows.

In addition, the Elk Creek Fire District Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) concurs that wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas which Conifer is, are where risk of loss to life and property due to wildfire is the greatest.

The huge nonconformance of the proposed bike park with these and many other of the recommendations offered in applicable land use plans is evident.

The proposed bike park fails to meet far too many other standards required by Jefferson County –increasing the chances for a catastrophic wildfire threatening the homes and lives of residents, a level of increased traffic certain to raise the number of car crashes and threaten lives, the overload of emergency response teams due to the guaranteed injuries of downhill mountain biking, and adequately disposing the waste for 700 expected people daily that could easily pollute or deplete community water wells and devastate the wildlife population and ecosystem.

I am writing to you in opposition to the lift-access commercial bike park proposed for Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer, currently known as Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

The proposed park, if constructed, will not be able to mitigate the impacts on the surrounding area. The proposed parcel is a major part of a 306-acre refugium, an area which supports a natural existence, untrammeled by humans. The scope and magnitude of environmental change to this 306-acre parcel if the project is approved, then built, and placed into operation would include vegetation clear cutting, obliterating 39 acres for 16 miles of trails, 3.5 acres for the quad lift line, and some 5 acres for service roads. All told, the development from a vegetation standpoint will irreversibly mutilate the landscape by clearing 73 acres (30% of the property) of unspoiled vegetation, making the entire existing wetlands non-existent in the process.

Deforesting scars will be prominent without any way to mitigate that activity. The devastated portions will profoundly fragment the habitat required for wildlife to thrive or even exist. The developers acknowledge the project area is heavily utilized year-round by elk and the habitat fragmentation caused by the constant use of the bike park would significantly decrease its value to elk and other wildlife.

The Conifer/285 Corridor Plan calls for the protection of visually sensitive landscapes that have special qualities, and new development in these areas should only be allowed if visual impacts can be adequately mitigated. The CSLB parcel contains a beautiful mountain meadow, aspen groves, major rock outcroppings, steep slopes, and a beautiful ridgeline to which the bike park project will cause extreme ruin. The developers’ own plan clearly illustrates that the impact will not be minimal. The base area alone will include a septic system, a 300-space parking lot, a lodge, a metal storage tank, and a retention pond. The land and visual destruction are the exact opposite of what is stated by the Conifer 285 plan and the Jefferson County Comprehensive Master Plan.

Bottom line, the bike park would destroy the mountain, meadow, wildlife refuge, wetlands and irretrievably degrade the viewscapes that attract homeowners and visitors to this peaceful residential area.

The proposed bike park fails to meet far too many other standards required by Jefferson County to be viably considered – including increasing the chances for a catastrophic wildfire threatening the homes and lives of residents, a level of increased traffic certain to raise the number of car crashes and threaten lives, the overload of emergency response teams due to the guaranteed injuries of downhill mountain biking, and adequately disposing the waste for 700 expected people daily that could easily pollute or deplete community water wells and devastate the wildlife population and ecosystem.

For all of these exceedingly clear reasons, I urge the County to deny the developers application for a special use permit to build a lift-access commercial bike park on Shadow Mountain Drive.

I am writing to you in opposition to the lift-access commercial bike park proposed for Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer, currently known as Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

The existing infrastructure and services are verifiably not sufficient to support this development.

The Elk Creek Fire Protection District would be significantly overextended with the bike park’s operation. A wildfire or any emergency response would be staffed by the mostly voluntary and already underfunded Fire District, which is funded by property taxes that the proposed commercial bike park would not be paying (the property is exempt). Yet the bike park would be exponentially increasing the Fire District’s workload. In the Elk Creek Fire Protection District, 70% of the calls are for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The time it would take for EMS to respond to an accident at the proposed bike park, transport the person to the nearest trauma one hospital and return to service would take several hours. During these hours the Conifer residents who pay property taxes would not be able to quickly obtain the medical care they may need. To provide context and the scenario facing the Fire District and residents, a medical study conducted at Whistler Mountain Bike Park showed 75 ambulance transports in one season.

The proposed bike park will add 700 vehicle trips per day to and from the facility. The developers only have jurisdiction in the park boundaries. Should bikers illegally park on the side of Shadow Mountain Drive, speed or engage in any other unlawful behavior, it will fall to the already understaffed Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to provide policing. The new sheriff has talked about losing seasoned officers and the need to recruit.

The proposed development area is in an extreme wildfire risk area. Adding more than 1,000 people on a peak day at the proposed bike park will greatly increase this risk, as 84% of fires are human caused. Narrow, winding Shadow Mountain Drive will not be able to handle the traffic load in the event of a fire evacuation, which will be managed by the understaffed Sheriff’s Office.

In sum, the proposed bike park violates far too many standards required by Jefferson County to be viably considered – including increasing the chances for a catastrophic wildfire threatening the homes and lives of residents, a level of increased traffic certain to raise the number of car crashes and threaten lives, the overload of emergency response teams due to the guaranteed injuries of downhill mountain biking, and adequately disposing the waste for 700 expected people daily that could easily pollute or deplete community water wells and devastate the wildlife population and ecosystem.

For all of these exceedingly clear reasons, I urge the County to deny the developers application for a special use permit to build a lift-access commercial bike park on Shadow Mountain Drive.

I am writing to you in opposition to the lift-access commercial bike park proposed for Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer, currently known as Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

The proposed bike park, if constructed, would have a seriously harmful effect upon the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and landowners in the surrounding area.

The would-be developers claim that their proposal aligns with the vision and goals of the 2020 Jefferson County Master Plan and the 2020 Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan. That assertion flies in the face of Hazard Mitigation Plan statements like this: A key strategy for reducing future losses in a community is to avoid development in known hazard areas… The purpose of this strategy is to keep people, businesses, and buildings out of harm’s way before a hazard event occurs.

The proposed bike park would be located on Conifer Mountain, an “extreme” fire danger area which is the highest wildfire-risk rating. Adding nearly 5000 potential fire igniters weekly will significantly elevate the already extreme wildfire risk. Based on Wildland Fire Management Information (WFMI) data and the U.S. Forest Service Research Data Archive, nearly 84 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans.

The developers say the project is designed to ensure compatibility with community character and natural surroundings and will benefit residential uses in the area by providing opportunities for improved health. Obliterating a pristine mountain meadow and ripping up Conifer Mountain is by no stretch of the imagination compatible with the surroundings, and while exercise is healthy, the negatives of a bike park on the proposed CSLB parcel far outweigh any conjured benefits for the community. There is an abundance of resources for outdoor exercise already in existence in the area. Adding a bike park and the cacophony of major traffic to and from the facility, removing the restorative peace, the fundamental reason people live in the area, is about as unhealthy and unwell as it gets.

In sum, the proposed bike park violates far too many standards required by Jefferson County and set forth in the Comprehensive Master Plan– including increasing the chances for a catastrophic wildfire threatening the homes and lives of residents, a level of increased traffic certain to raise the number of car crashes and threaten lives, the overload of emergency response teams with the guaranteed injuries of downhill mountain biking, and adequately disposing the waste for 700 expected people daily that could easily pollute or deplete community water wells and devastate the wildlife population and ecosystem.

For all of these exceedingly clear reasons, I urge the County to deny the developers application for a special use permit to build a lift-access commercial bike park on Shadow Mountain Drive.

Talking Points

The proposed development is located within the Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan and does not meet the Area Plan’s requirements. Building a commercial enterprise on land zoned for agriculture and surrounded entirely by residential properties is not a compatible use per the zoning code or the Conifer area plan. The property including and surrounding the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park location are all zoned agricultural (A-2) or residential (SR-2, MR-1, MR-3 & P-D). The closest commercial property is 2 miles away on the corner of Highway 73 and Barkley Road before you ever arrive at Shadow Mountain Drive. Mountain Residential Zone Districts, which the proposed property is part of, are intended to provide for low to medium density residential development including both single-family and two-family dwellings, as well as some agricultural uses where compatible – not commercial enterprises. The property is in a defined “area of stability” which requires any new development or redevelopment in these areas to be consistent with the character, scale, uses and typical lot sizes of the properties in the general vicinity of the proposed development. An “area of stability” also requires commercially zoned properties, the proposed property is only zoned for agriculture not commercial, to generally either maintain what exists or convert to a community or residential use. Shadow Mountain Bike Park will not be able to mitigate the impacts on the area or on residents’ health, safety & welfare and the existing infrastructure is not sufficient to support this development. The proposed location has already been given the highest National Fire Danger rating of “Extreme” by the Elk Creek Fire Protection District due to its fuels, weather, topography, and risks. The bike park would introduce additional wildfire fuels and risks to the area. National Fire Danger Rating = Extreme: The proposed location has been given the highest wildfire-risk rating which means fires of all types start quickly, burn intensely, and spread easily – becoming very dangerous, hard to fight, and often lasting for several days. The bike park would further escalate the area’s wildfire risks. The plan presented by Shadow Mountain Bike Park to mitigate the increased wildfire risks their proposed development would bring is insufficient and very lacking in details. The Department of Colorado Natural Resources has said forest fires are 80% human caused. The bike park would increase wildfire risks by adding daily up to 700 additional riders/ human ignition sources plus staff to an area that already has the highest National Fire Danger Rating. In the case of a wildfire at the proposed location, there is only one main egress point for the bike park’s daily estimated 300 additional vehicles plus staff and all residents living in neighborhoods along Shadow Mountain Drive. To date, the County has not required nor have the Shadow Mountain Bike Park developers done an evacuation study to ensure human lives aren’t lost in the case of a forest fire with an estimated 300 additional cars factored into Shadow Mountain Drive’s daily traffic. Shadow Mountain Bike Park would further stretch the area’s understaffed and underfunded emergency response resources – daily increasing people in the area by up to 700 riders plus staff, amplifying bike-related injuries, and hindering traffic flow on a narrow road with only one main egress point. A medical study* of a similar bike park recorded 75 ambulance transports in one season. Full Send Bike Ranch would increase ambulance calls by over 40% during the biking season. *Whistler Study With over 20% of ambulance calls in the proposed area already overlapping, the bike park’s additional transports would require more staff and emergency vehicles to properly serve everyone’s needs. In the Rural Elk Creek Fire Protection District, 70% of the calls are for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). With the proposed bike park increasing EMS call volume, it would reduce area residents’ ability to quickly obtain medical care. The property is owned by the State Land Board which pays $0 in property taxes. Property taxes are how the Elk Creek Fire Protection District is funded. The Bike Park would add burden to Elk Creek but wouldn’t add additional funding. Although the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park states they will have first aid available, their plan does not include details of transportation should additional services be needed, or the limit of what “First Aid” covers. Other similar bike parks only cover a limited number of injuries and do not include paramedics or those who can do advanced first aid. Shadow Mountain Drive is a winding two lane road that doesn’t have turn lanes or shoulders and this lack of safety features cannot be mitigated. Adding 300+ cars a day for 600+ vehicle trips on an already dangerous road is a recipe for disaster. There are seven school bus stops on Shadow Mountain Rd and many more on Black Mountain Rd & Brook Forest Rd. It would be tragic to have a child involved accident because someone didn’t notice the bus or child crossing the road around the curve. The 2015 Jefferson County Safety Improvement Program Report concluded in the crash analysis that: “Shadow Mountain Drive experienced a relatively high number of accidents given its length”. The 2015 report outlined 26 accidents. There have been three fatalities between 2011 and 2020 on Shadow Mountain Drive. The proposed bike park is located 2.2 miles from the entrance of Shadow Mountain Drive and all three fatalities have occurred within the first 2.5 miles of Shadow Mountain. For ten years, Shadow Mountain’s history of crashes has been documented by Crash Analysis Studies completed by Jefferson County. In 2015, the Jefferson County Safety Improvement Program Report concluded that “Shadow Mountain Drive experienced a relatively high number of accidents given its length. The 2021’s Crash Analysis documented that Shadow Mountain was once again selected as it continues to experience a high number of crashes. We already have an average of close to 2000 cars per day on Shadow Mountain Drive. The proposed bike park would add nearly a 1000 additional trips in and out. The first 2.5 miles is of Shadow Mountain Drive is 30 mph. In a recent traffic study completed by Jefferson County 98% of the people whose speed was recorded were going over 30 miles per hours. 13% in the 30mph zone were going over 50 miles per hour. Water access in the Conifer community relies on a very fragile system. Residents access their water from the fractured aquifer residing below our homes. There is a delicate balance of water being removed by evaporation, vegetation, and wells, and water being returned into the aquifer system by rainfall or snow melt. There is not enough water currently available on the proposed site for the bike park to operate. The water used by the guests and the business operation will exceed what is available for the Conifer community, and what is needed to recharge water back into the fragile fractured aquifer and the developers have no plan to find additional water. The Area Plan recognizes the importance of mountain meadows for area wildlife and recommends protection for the visual and ecological significance. The Area Plan notes that the presence of wildlife is a treasured community resource and reflects the health of the ecosystem and fosters a sense of community for residents. The expanding footprint of development in the community puts additional pressure on diminishing wildlife resources and their habitats. Habitat loss from development threatens all species of flora and fauna in the area by decreasing the availability of food, water, shelter, and space, which will diminish some animal populations. Full Send Bike Ranch’s proposal will irreparably harm existing habitat, thus displacing wildlife living in and migrating through the proposed development area. Habitat destruction will serve to reduce the overall biodiversity of the area. Based on the current air quality reports produced by Jefferson County for this zip code, adding additional cars, buildings, and other emissions will be detrimental to the air quality. An additional 300 vehicles in and out of the proposed development daily will create significant air pollution not to mention the other emissions that come along with buildings and development. Even though this will be an outdoor space, there will be emissions from the chair lift, the lodge, and other facilities. As there are no other commercial properties in the area, this will affect the air quality greatly as there will be an unbalanced change in environment.

Environmental Noise Definition: Unwanted or excessive sound that can have deleterious effects on human health, wildlife, and environmental quality commonly generated from industrial facilities, but can also be from highway, railway, airplane and construction activities. The propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life. Any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and wellbeing of humans or other organisms.

Noise is more than just a nuisance, and can lead to such things as hearing loss, increased blood pressure and pulse rate, irritability, anxiety and mental fatigue, and interference with sleep. Children living near busy streets that produce highway noise can develop issues with memory impairment, attention level, and reading skill. Automobiles produce tire noise. Additionally, Shadow Mountain Drive is narrow and winding, causing vehicles to strike the rumble strips in the road which generates additional noise. Noise can pose an existential threat to various wildlife species as it can interfere with an animal’s ability to attract a mate, communicate, navigate, locate food, and avoid predators.

write your letter

You can use the form below to send your email or you can send it to the following email addresses for it to be entered into the record – Dylan Monke, Case Manager (dmonke@jeffco.us), County Commissioner Tracy Kraft Tharp (tktharp@jeffco.us), County Commissioner Andy Kerr (akerr@jeffco.us), and County Commissioner Leslie Dahlkemper (ldahlkem@jeffco.us)

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