They are aiming for a 2018 opening, and say they will keep the lines of communication open with the community as they move forward. Controversial Catholic retreat center wins rezoning battle near Conifer Mountain residents worry 247-acre retreat will be a wildfire disaster waiting to happen
By John Aguilar | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PUBLISHED: December 6, 2016 at 1:03 pm | UPDATED: December 6, 2016 at 5:15 pm
Commissioner Casey Tighe asked how the county could ask the archdiocese to forgo wood burning fire pits on its property when that is an allowed use under county code. Tighe noted that the parcel was zoned to accommodate up to 28 homes — and each of those homes could have a wood-burning outdoor fireplace if the homeowner so chose.
Silvestro said a destination resort, where hundreds of people who have no vested interest in the Jefferson County foothills or familiarity with the fire risk there, is “qualitatively different” from individual homeowners who have sunk their life savings into their residences.
Elk Creek fire chief Bill McLaughlin said it was his “strong preference” that Emmaus not have wood-burning fire pits and he told the commissioners that the facility would put further strain on an already overstretched and underfunded volunteer fire department.
The archdiocese has offered to contribute $10,000 a year to Elk Creek for fire services, but the department has said the necessary annual funding is more on the order of $20,000. A formal cost-sharing agreement has not yet been finalized.
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