A proposal for the last major commercial development on U.S. Highway 50 in Pueblo city limits got a green light Wednesday from the Pueblo Planning and Zoning Commission.
The commission unanimously approved the development plan for Wildhorse Crossing, located north of the highway at Pueblo Boulevard on a 180-acre site that was formerly part of the Pueblo West Metro District. The site was annexed into Pueblo in December.
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“This is the last major commercial development Pueblo can see on U.S. 50, so it is an exciting time for the city of Pueblo,” said Jim Munch, a consultant. “We’ve been working on this development for at least 20 years.”
Wildhorse Crossing will encompass an auto dealer and service center, commercial offices, warehouse space and a hotel site. Additionally, the plan calls for an 11-acre multifamily apartment complex, said Scott Hobson, acting director of planning and community development.
Wildhorse Road and Dunn Avenue will be realigned as part of the plan.
Rezoning approved for proposed RV park
In other business, the commission unanimously recommended Pueblo City Council approve the rezoning of a 27-acre parcel where a proposed recreational vehicle park is planned east of Pueblo Boulevard and north of Westview Drive.
According to Pueblo Planner Wade Broadhead there “has been speculation what it might be for decades.”
If council approves its rezoning from mixed residential to multiple residential and commercial use, the property owner, Jim Butcher, will have to get a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals before advancing to a site planning process.
“There hasn’t been one (RV park) in town for decades,” Broadhead said, pointing out the subdivision process is strict and outlines the design standards and the number of units.
Butcher assured the board the park will be upscale and cater to the traveling public as well as those who may stay for a few weeks. Joe Gagliano of Gagliano Engineering said he is designing bigger spaces to accommodate modern RVs.
A Ridgeview Place neighbor, Tiffany Grainger, said she opposes the rezoning.
“More residential housing is needed and not more RV parks. It is not suited for the neighborhood and even when they are more upscale, they often have a lot of crimes and problems,” Grainger said.
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Pueblo Realtor Randy Thurston spoke in favor of the proposal.
“There are a lot of new apartments and housing going in, but there is a lack of first-class RV parks. With the EVRAZ long rail mill contractors and solar contractors, 20 to 40% of their workforce travel to the job site in nice, high-quality RV’s,” Thurston said.
“This is going to have a park area and will probably be one of the nicest parks in Colorado when it is done. It will be one we can all be very proud of.”
It is an ideal location, Thurston said, because it will have easy access to 24th Street and is close to Lake Pueblo.
“This is how the world and America is changing. The number of RVs on the road is more than ever before,” he said.
Planning Commission Member Cheryl Spinuzzi said her parents were snowbirds who traveled to RV parks for years and she would not have reservations about a new RV park in Pueblo.
“The cost of the trailer eliminates the trashier type of resident that would stay in that park,” she said.
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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo’s last major Highway 50 commercial development advances
