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WEST
MONUMENT CREEK
SUBAREA #3
Boundary
and Geographical Information
The
West Monument Creek Sub-area is a picturesque mountain community
nestled in between the Monument Creek and Lake and the Front
Range. It is surrounded to the north and east by the towns
of Monument and Palmer Lake and on the south and west by
the Pike National Forest and the Mount Herman Sub-area.
The elevation ranges from 6,900 to 8,000 feet with slopes
ranging from 2% near Monument Creek to 33% or greater along
the Front Range. One of the unique characteristics of this
Sub-Area is the presence of numerous unusual rock outcroppings.
Monument Lake is within the boundaries of the Sub-Area but
access is restricted.
Vegetation
includes cottonwood trees, willows, marsh grasses and cattails
in the wetlands and low lying areas associated with Monument
Lake and Monument Creek, more arid upland grasses and gamble
oak, and various coniferous trees on the higher reaches
along the Front Range.
Photo:
Andy de Naray
Land
Use
The ownership is predominately scattered residential and
includes medium (1 acre lots) to low density (2.5 to 5.0
acre) residential. There are a few larger parcels that remain
and it is likely that these may subdivide at sometime in
the future.
The
Sub-area in 1985 was comprised of approximately 1,700 total
acres but approximately 120 acres have been annexed into
the Town of Palmer Lake.
The
following subdivisions are included in the West Monument
Creek Sub-area:
- Shiloh
Pines
- Pioneer
Lookout
- Sundance
Estates
- Forest
View Acres
- Red
Rock Ranch
- Clover
Hoof Estates
Red
Rock Ranch, Forest View Acres, and Cloven Hoof Estates are
serviced with public water.
Transportation
The primary access into the Sub-Area is from SH 105. Other
arterial road include Mitchell Avenue, Monument Lake Road,
Red Rocks Ranch Drive, and Sunburst Drive. Access to into
and through the subdivisions are somewhat limited and indirect
in particular to the Shiloh Pines and Pioneer Lookout subdivisions.
Most interior roadways are well maintained by the County
and are either gravel or chip-sealed.
Water
and Sewer
Many homes in this Sub-Area are on private wells and septic
systems. The subdivisions of Forest View Acres, Clover Hoof
Estates and portions of Red Rock Ranch have central water
and sewer systems.
Wells
that are located up against the Front Range have the potential
of being unreliable due to the fractured rock and lowered
level for available ground water.
Opportunities
- Recreational
access to Monument Lake although public access to the
Lake is currently restricted but at some time in the future
it may be possible to connect the Sub-area to a community-wide
recreation system which would link it to the lake and
a system of trails.
- The
northern and western portions of the Sub-Area are potentially
in the urban service areas of Monument and Palmer Lake
and at sometime in the future annexation into one of the
municipality may be an option.
- Its
location against the Front Range and many unique rock
outcroppings add a quaint character to the Sub-Area.
- Opportunity
to connect to future recreational trails in the Pike National
Forest.
Constraints
- Numerous
individual well and septic systems have the potential
of failure due to fractured rock structure of the Front
Range and lowered water table.
- Limited
connector roads.
West
Monument Creek - Land Use Scenario
- Improve
existing access from SH 105.
- This
area should remain primarily rural residential. Overall
residential densities should be similar to adjacent densities.
Consider cluster options to retain open space.
- Higher
density residential development should be discouraged
except in areas designated as mixed use and where adequate
services are already available.
- Predominate
landscape features in undeveloped areas should be protected
and preserved. Improve public access to Monument Lake.
- Topography,
roadway design, lot orientation, and recognized standard
principles of site design should be used to limit the
visual impact of development.
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