UPDATE: It is our understanding the applicant has withdrawn their application to rezone. That means the project is off! This was after a crushing defeat in planning and zoning 7-0 against. It will not go to BCC.
Evergreen Tennis Bubble Zoning
The Evergreen Tennis (bubble) Club is taking on a development project. The Tennis Club is located at 2914 Evergreen Pkwy, Evergreen, CO. With the housing shortage in Evergreen and the rest of the Denver Foothills the area really needs the residential homes. There was an informational meeting for the project last night and the turn out was good. The overall mood of the crowd was very positive. Those who are educated about the Jefferson County master plan understood how much of a benefit residential homes would be on the Tennis Bubble (club) property would be. Although there were some folks that were hesitant. They were not informed or educated about the project prior to the meeting. They had a great deal of misery information. Many people came in with wrong information.

Is the Evergreen Parkway Tennis Bubble Project going to be low income housing?
It will be more affordable housing, is our understanding. Of course that is a relative term when your home values are so high. Possibly the biggest misconception (perhaps because years ago they tried to get low income government assisted housing approved for that area) is that the project will be building low income housing or government assisted housing. This is not true. That project has been scrapped. The homes that will be built for the project are high end homes. They will priced in the upper price point for Evergreen. They will actually be more expensive and higher end than Sun Creek homes. It was actually kind of concerning to me to see my friends and neighbors so concerned about their own selfish “concerns”. There were only a few that were vocally opposed to the project which was funny because these folks had no idea what the project was even about. The developers don’t even know exactly what the final project will be. So the very few folks that are pushing back against this project don’t even know what they are pushing back on..
How many units will the final project be?
They are still early in the development phase. The proposed plan has 15 attached family homes that will sell between (of course depending on the market at time of completion) $575,000 and $850,000. They are also proposing a condo style building with 20-30 more units. According to the Jefferson County plan they will also need to incorporate a percentage of retail space along with the development. They will also need to add a certain amount of open space. There will also be a ton of new studies done to make sure the land and traffic can handle the influx of residents. There will be a traffic study done to see if a street light will be needed, a study by FEMA for flooding as well as an environmental impact study.
What the property is currently zoned for…
Right now the property is located in the Jefferson County master plan for commercial use. That means if the community pushes back and they are unable to build a few residential units the landowner could put in a restaurant, a night club, auto repair shop, storage units and a ton of other commercial businesses that will certainly be more of an eyesore and problem than a few high end homes and condos. One thing for sure is something is going to be built on that property. It might be some very nice homes or commercial buildings. I would hope that there are more people here in Evergreen that would rather see more home than office buildings or even a Jiffy Lube because right now that is what is allowed to be built on the Tennis Bubble property.
Will the Tennis Bubble and Club still stay after development?
At the meeting the other night they said the Tennis Bubble will remain and be a club for the residents of the new community. They might need to get rid of some of the outdoor courts. The owners are trying to make this a nice upscale community that people will want to live in. There will be some nice retail spaces since the county is requiring a certain percentage of retail space if the project goes through. The development will have multiple phases and take years to complete so this is a work in progress and they are still not sure what the final product will look like.
Jefferson County master plan is designed for development
Some people just don’t like change. It makes them uncomfortable and anxious. There are a few people believe that once they move into a community
that all development should stop. That is very unrealistic. Jefferson County is no different than the rest of the world. Areas need to grow to survive. Not many homes in Evergreen have been here for more than 50 years. What if they decided to stop all development 50 years ago? About 90% of the homes here would not exist. Most of the people with complaints about a growing community would not have the homes they are in now. A community must continue to grow. There are no homes available for people to buy or rent in Evergreen. Evergreen is not over crowded. There is plenty of land available to expend. When people like the folks that own the tennis bubble want to help the community grow, it is a shame there is so much push back from just a few that think they speak for everyone. There are plenty of people that would like to see Evergreen grow. The ones that complain about a few more homes are also the ones that complain about taxes going up. That is why taxes need to be raised. The cost of maintaining a community and roads and infrastructure continue to go up. If there are only so many homes to contribute then those few homes need to pay more taxes. Local businesses need more business to survive as their costs of doing business rise as well.
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of other options far more worse for property values to neighboring homes that the Tennis Center property is ALREADY zoned for. Most home owners would prefer to have a residential neighbor as opposed to an auto repair shop or a nightclub right next door. Most Realtors will tell you that having another (new and more expensive) residential property next to you will increase your property value much more than having an adult entertainment center in your back yard.
Just a few of the things that are already able to be built on the Evergreen Tennis Bubble property are: Medical and dental offices, clinics and small veterinary clinics with no outside, facilities. Laboratory, except those involved in any hazardous process of that emit noxious noise dust, fumes or odor, State licensed day-care center or preschool or nursery, Grocery Store, Supermarket, Gas station, service station or car wash. Auto repair facility, Convenience retail,shopping facility, Including but not limited to drug stores,liquor stores, florists, newsstands,, hardware stores, livestock feed stores, auto supply stores, and retail food specialty shops which sell food products not intended to be consumed on the premises, such as butcher shops,candy stores, bakeries, dairy product shops, delicatessens, Restaurants, excluding drive-thru and fast food, Specialty Restaurant, no drive –thru, Restaurants, including specialty, brewpub,vintern’s, fast food, drive-in or carry-out, Convenience service establishments, including but not limited to: barber and beauty shops, cleaners, shoe repair shops, laundries. Taverns and lounges, Arcades, pool halls, dance and other lesson type studios.
It is one of the best ideas anyone has had in Evergreen, CO for a very long time. That area is zoned commercial. Not sure why anyone would push back on turning the tennis bubble property into beautiful homes instead of commercial buildings. They could technically have a loud and noisy bar there. The folks that own the tennis bubble are wonderful people that truly care about Evergreen and the community.
Orson Hill Realty always like to see the area developed. Development is good if done right. Jefferson County puts a lot of time and effort into research for these types of projects. They have their hands in it every step of the way. They do traffic counts, fire research, flood research and impact on the wildlife. The county wouldn’t let anyone just throw up some buildings and not make sure it isn’t the best for the community. Jefferson County has some of the most strict regulations of any county in Colorado, second maybe only to Boulder.
Full disclosure on the relationship with Orson Hill Realty LLC and the Evergreen Tennis Club (bubble) Development on Evergreen Parkway:
The owner of Orson Hill Realty is friends with the family that is spearheading this project. As of the writing of this article Orson Hill has no formal agreement to list, sell or lease any of the properties. We have no financial interest or any other interest in this property.
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