Spring Valley Ranch
A Balanced Development That Brings Long-Term Benefits to All of Garfield County
There’s local soul in the close-knit, down-to-earth community in this valley cradled by mountains—individuals and families who have thrived here, some for generations. Storied Development immediately recognized that Garfield County is a spectacular place to call home.
Storied was introduced to the County when they learned of Spring Valley Ranch, a 5,900-acre Planned Unit Development (PUD) with a County approved development plan already in place. Storied understood the potential of the Ranch’s approved plan—including 577 homes and various lifestyle amenities— but that plan wasn’t aligned with today’s values in western Colorado.
Storied is a thoughtful developer that considers the needs of property and people—current residents and those who will buy into their new communities. They strive to bring places to life in balanced ways that benefit the entire community.
In evaluating the Ranch’s potential, Storied took a step back and assessed the community’s goals and priorities, heard their environmental concerns, and determined how to contribute to the economic well-being of the region through the revised plan.
They conceived an improved plan for the County by:
Bettering
a problematic intersection for more efficient and safer traffic flow, including bringing roads up to County standards.
Creating
new wildfire breaks and removing solid wood fuel throughout the Ranch.
Reducing
estimated water use compared to the approved plan.
Building
a new fire station.
Incorporating
public trails.
Raising
the perpetual real estate transfer fee 1000% – from 0.2% to 2.0%
Partnering
with the Western Colorado Community Foundation and the Two Rivers Community Foundation for management of the real estate transfer fee.
With this amended plan in place, and with a population increase of less than 1%, the benefits for the County are far reaching, far into the future:
75
ATTAINABLE HOUSING UNITS
will be created for qualified County residents
12
ACRES
adjacent to the affordable housing will be reserved for future County needs
1,320
ACRES
of Wildlife Habitat Reserves will be created
$75.8 million
will be collected from the 2% real estate transfer tax during the 15-year build out, and injected into the County’s economy.
An annual $8 million
will, thereafter, be collected and contribute
to the County’s economy, in perpetuity.
The residents of Garfield County deserve to feel confident about their future here, and to continue enjoying the place they call home.
Storied’s vision for the Spring Valley Ranch development contributes to a secure future, with a balanced approach that benefits the greater community today and long into the future.
The amended plan is a bold yet considered proposal to improve upon the experiential, environmental, and economic conditions of the development and Garfield County.
Spring Valley Ranch Community Map
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the approval process timeline for the Spring Valley Ranch PUD?
PUD Amendment public hearings will begin in August 2024 and continue until approved. Once the PUD Amendment is approved, the project will proceed to Preliminary Plan review. The total project build-out timing is 10 to 12 years. The first phase of construction is expected to begin in 2026.
What water resources are available at Spring Valley Ranch?
Spring Valley Ranch will have its own central water distribution system derived from senior water rights from Landis Creek and Hopkins Reservoir with supplemental rights from the Spring Valley Aquifer (SVA). There are permits in place to serve the Spring Valley Ranch development legally and physically.
The estimated water demand at full build out for Spring Valley Ranch is 1,221 acre-feet and annual depletion is estimated at 688 acre-feet. The total annual demand for existing and future development that is supplied by wells within and around the Spring Valley Aquifer is estimated at 1,920 acre-feet and the annual depletion to the Spring Valley Aquifer is estimated at 1,263 acre-feet. The total annual natural recharge to the Spring Valley Aquifer, based on recent climate data from 1991-2020, is 3942 acre-feet. This recharge amount far exceeds the annual demand of all users of the aquifer.
What information is available for the Spring Valley Aquifer?
Please reference key facts below. Download the Spring Valley Aquifer Sustainability Study to read in more detail >
- The SVA tributary recharge area is approximately 15.4 square miles and varies in elevation from 6,870 to 9,400 feet.
- The SVA is at least 500 feet deep based on the deepest well that has been drilled and has a storage volume between 38,000 and 46,000 acre-feet. An additional 30,000 to 60,000 acre-feet are stored in the upland aquifer tributary to the SVA for total storage of 68,000 to 105,000 acre-feet.
- The average annual precipitation over the SVA tributary area was calculated to be 18,384 acre-feet between 1991-2020.
- The estimated average annual recharge of 3,942 acre-feet is more than three times (3x) the estimated depletion of 1,263 acre-feet.
- Groundwater withdrawals for irrigation will be less than calculated due to utilization of Landis.
What plans are in place to protect wildlife in the area?
Storied Development worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife on the revised wildlife mitigation plan that includes increasing the wildlife habitat area to 1,320 acres and reducing the number of public trails. Storied is also proposing an increase in the Real Estate Transfer Fee for the benefit of wildlife to 0.4%. Clustering the lots and changing the land plans allowed us to decrease the impacts on the natural topography and reduce the average lot size, which allowed the plan to double the amount of dedicated open space and increase the number of wildlife habitat areas.
What public amenities will be available?
The current plan has no public access. Storied is proposing to create 10 miles of public access trails for hiking and biking. Storied will also build a community accessible General Store at the intersection of CR 114 and CR 115.
What is the wildfire mitigation plan for Spring Valley Ranch?
Spring Valley Ranch will build a fully staffed fire station with EMS services to serve the entire area. The fire station must be completed before any residential permit is issued. The entire development is designed to have defensible space areas and defensible space easements. Water supply configuration for structure protection and wildfire suppression, as well as ample fill sites (pressurized hydrants), will be abundant throughout the property. The existing Hopkins Reservoir and proposed reservoir on the golf course can also serve as helicopter dip sites. Access standards will adhere to the 2021 Wildland Urban Interface Code, and all homes will be sprinkled.
What public services will serve the property?
Landis Creek Metropolitan District will serve the community for the domestic water system utilizing wells throughout Spring Valley Ranch. The Metro District will also manage and operate the fire protection services and wildlife management resources. Spring Valley Sanitation District will operate and manage the sewer services. The District is currently underutilized and was designated to serve Spring Valley Ranch community. Electric, gas and cable will be served by Holy Cross Energy, Black Hills Energy and Comcast. The Spring Valley Ranch Community Master Association, Inc. will administer property maintenance, repairs and improvements.
What is the affordable housing plan?
Storied Development will build a significant affordable housing neighborhood including seventy-five deed restricted housing units built in phases. Pricing and unit sizes will be governed by the Garfield County code. There is an additional 12-acre parcel reserved for community use.
Downloadable Information
Addressing Community Concerns
Comparison Chart Approved PUD plan vs. the Proposed PUD Plan
Outreach Summary
Water Facts
Summary Spring Valley Ranch Economic Study
Looking for more information?
If you have additional questions, we encourage you to submit them here so that we may address them.
All Spring Valley Ranch designs, materials, features, square footages, descriptions, depictions and computer or artist’s renderings of any proposed amenities or facilities are provided for informational purposes only, are not to scale and are subject to change. The developer reserves the right to modify the elevation, size and specifications of any proposed amenities or facilities throughout the course of design and construction, pending completion thereof. No guarantees are made that any such amenities or facilities will be of the same size, nature, and specifications of those as depicted, shown, or described. Any and all recreational and golf amenities and facilities will be privately owned and operated as a club, with mandatory membership and mandatory membership fees payable. This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy real estate in any jurisdiction where prohibited by law or in any jurisdiction in which registration or any other legal requirements have not been fulfilled. The name ”Spring Valley Ranch”, and all variants thereof, including any logos accompanying or embodying such names, and the depictions, photographs, and contents of all marketing materials, including brochures and promotional materials are licensed and registered trademarks of Storied Development, LLC. All rights reserved. ® © 2024. Equal Housing Opportunity.
