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THE
TOWN OF PALMER LAKE
SUBAREA #1
The
following information is from the updated 1993 Town of
Palmer Lake Comprehensive Plan, prepared by citizen's
with assistance from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments.
The
Vision
The citizens of Palmer Lake want a town which provides the
traditional public services while maintaining its historical,
small-town atmosphere. They accept the fact that in order
to preserve this atmosphere, they may not, in the near future,
be able to have all the amenities of larger, more industrial-based
municipalities such as all paved streets.
To
maintain the desired character of the Town while continuing
to provide and upgrade current services, Palmer Lake will
do the following:
- Provide
an environment conducive to measured, but steady growth.
- Encourage
cottage industries, service industries, low impact light
manufacturing, and other small businesses to locate within
the Town.
- Encourage
development of residential areas in accordance with current
zoning codes.
- Ensure
that plans for facilities and utilities are accomplished
to support the above.
Location
and Historical Background
The town of Palmer Lake rests against the foothills south
of the Palmer Divide on a ridge that separates the waters
of the South Platte River from those of the Arkansas River.
It is located northwest of Interstate 25, between Colorado's
two largest cities, Colorado Springs (15 minutes south)
and Denver (45 minutes north). Because of this proximity
to these two cities, many of its residents commute to them
for the purposes of employment, shopping and entertainment.
In
1871 General William Palmer began building the Denver and
Rio Grande Railroad. The railway was laid on the west side
of the lake and began operations in 1872. The lake was important
to the railroad in that it provided the water needed for
their steam locomotives. The reservoirs on Monument Creek
west of the town were built by the railroad and they owned
the water rights. During the 1950's, the town leased the
water rights and reservoirs from the Denver and Rio Grande.
Prior to 1883 the railroad station at the lake was named
Divide. In 1883 the railroad station was renamed first as
Loch Katrine, than as Palmero, and then finally in November
of that year the railroad station was officially recorded
as Palmer Lake.
It
wasn't until the mid-1880's that the town began to grow.
In the summer of 1882 a dental surgeon, Dr. Finley Thompson,
visited the area and saw the potential for a health resort
and vacation community. He purchase 320 acres of land east
of the lake and called it Loch Katrine. He also purchased
property on the west side of the lake and named it the Glenside
Addition to Loch Katrine. In 1884 the Glen House opened
for tourists. A restaurant was opened that year beside the
railroad station to serve customers. In 1886 the first general
store was opened with a small meat store in the back. A
number of major events for Palmer Lake occurred in 1887.
The Santa Fe Railroad extended its tracks from Pueblo to
Denver through Palmer Lake, adding a railroad station, agent's
quarters, and public restaurant. Dr. Thompson built his
home which he called Estemere. It was also the first season
of the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua Assembly. The Chautauqua
proved to be very popular and as attendance grew, the programs
became more diversified and it became a good source of income
for the town. In 1889 the town was incorporated and elected
its first mayor, Dr. Thompson. At that time, the town limits
contained twenty eight hundred acres.
Occasional
natural disasters that have had an impact on the Town's
growth. One example was on June 16, 1965, the Town became
a victim of a flood and several waterspouts. The storm sent
over 4 million gallons of water a minute down Monument Creek
and the scars from the waterspouts are still evident on
the mountain near the upper reservoirs. It took months to
repair the damage to water mains, roads, and bridges. In
1967, the Bradley family donated Sundance Mountain to the
town. In the 70's the Palmer Lake Sanitation district was
formed. In 1981 the town purchased the Palmer Lake and the
upper reservoirs from the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
with a combined grant and loan from the Farmer's Home Administration.
It was during this period that the Santa Fe Railroad abandoned
its right-of-way from Palmer Lake through Colorado Springs
and the County built a trailhead and park on the west shore
of the Lake.
Geographic
Description
The topography of Palmer Lake ranges from moderately sloping
to extremely steep with abrupt changes in elevation. The
elevation varies from a low of 7000 feet along portions
of Monument Creek to 8050 feet on Sundance Mountain. Approximately
one-fifth of the incorporated areas has slopes in excess
of 30%.
General
Characteristics
The Town has several distinct neighborhoods:
The
Town Center radiates west and north from the downtown
commercial and civic area and has as its background Sundance
Mountain. This area has most of the historically significant
buildings that contribute to the Town's unique character.
The existing downtown commercial area is primarily located
along SH 105 from Lower Glenway to Pie Corner. It is a loose
arrangement of highway oriented businesses. With the advent
of I-25, traffic was diverted away for the Town. Today the
businesses located along SH 105 are comprised of specialty
shops and restaurants that cater to the local population.
The most critical deficiency identified in this area is
the lack of a pedestrian circulation system and parking.
The
Glen is another distinct area located in the valley
formed by Monument Creek and stretches to the higher grounds
to the west and south and has Chautauqua Mountain as its
backdrop. A significant portion of this area is the site
of many of the summer homes that were built during the Town's
early years.
Ben
Lomond is the mountain on the east side of the Lake
and is characterized by a sloping landscape, bluffs and
rock outcroppings. This is an area that is currently experiencing
most of the new residential development in town.
The
Southeast Palmer Lake area stretches from the eastern
town limits to the town center. This is the area where most
of the newer commercial businesses in the town have located.
Population
Historically population growth has tended to rise quickly
and then slow to a more moderate increase. Most of the growth
has been attributed to in-migration. Overall growth between
1960 and 1970 was estimated around 75%. The establishment
of the USAF Academy contributed to the highest growth rate
thus far for Palmer Lake. The time between 1970 and 1980
the population increased around 20%, and between 1980 and
1990 increased more than 30%. In 1990 the population was
estimated at 1480. Although the year 2000 population data
is not yet available, based on the number of water taps,
individual wells, and number of mobile homes in the Grand
View and Elephant Rock Mobile Home Parks, the Town's 1999
population was estimated to be around 3000 residents. If
this figure is correct, this would indicate that another
significant increase in population took place between 1990
and 2000.
Present
Development
Most of the current development is residential and is occurring
most often as infilling on remaining lots in the Town Center,
in small subdivisions in The Glen, on the higher elevations
south of the Monument Creek Valley and, as mentioned earlier,
in the area east of the lake, and at the foot of the west
face of Ben Lomond. Most of these residences are in either
the R 10,000 Residential (1 dwelling unit/10,000
sq. ft. lot) or the R3 Medium Density Residential
(1 DU/ 5000 sq. ft. lot) this trend is expected to continue
into the future at a modest rate. Any extensive residential
development into the future most likely will occur in the
area bordered by the south slope of Ben Lomond and The Santa
Fe Trail and to some extend in the area north of Ben Lomond.
Commercial
development is located in the Southeast Palmer Lake,
the Town Center, and north Palmer Lake. The Commercial
areas all front on SH 105 and County Line Road. Current
Zoning would not allow any Commercial development beyond
these areas however, there is the potential for future commercial
and industrial development along County Line Road. The majority
of new commercial development has and is occurring along
SH 105 in Southeast Palmer Lake. The trend is toward specially
retail and restaurants and is expected to continue at a
modest rate.
The
Lake in Palmer Lake is undergoing extensive restoration.
This includes dredging to increase the depth of the lake
so that it will continue to be a good environment for fish
and a recreational attraction for the community. It includes
making the shoreline more attractive and accessible and
the addition of a fountain in its center. There are also
plans to build tennis courts and a ball field at the south
end of the lake.
Services
The Town provides adequate centralized water and sewer services
within the municipal limits. The Town roads are maintained
adequately with efforts made to control dust and to remove
snow as quickly as possible. The Town has a volunteer fire
department and a police force of four full-time and three
part-time law officers.
Constraints
The railroad limits access east and south of the Lake. The
railroad crossing on County Line Road near the trailhead
of the New Santa Fe Trail is unsafe, inadequate, a hindrance
and is often blocked by the trains passing through Palmer
Lake.
The
opportunity to keep the small-town atmosphere also has limitations
in that municipalities in Colorado must often rely on sales
tax for quality-of-life and infrastructure improvements.
Lack of funds to pave streets or improve parks will continue
to be a challenge for the Town.
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