Depends on who owns the theoretical meadow. With all the empty buildings up here, growth may involve getting them occupied.
I don't think we are going to have a big problem with development in the next few years. We have a ton of houses sitting empty and more coming every month. Any developer wanting to start selling residential lots would be taking a big risk these days - any builder wanting to build new houses risks bankrupcy in a big way.
Space for Commercial expansion is just about gone in Evergreen- there's no places left to develop - and the last time someone tried to add a little commercial space next to the highway- it was seized by the county and turned into a park at the cost of $640,000 to the taxpayers. When a pickup truck crashed and landed a few feet from where the kids play - people just complained that there were no guardrails, instead of questioning the wisdom of placing a kids ball park next to a busy highway.
The real problem is that regulations and restrictions are preventing existing homeowners from improving their own property. I know several homeowners who would like to add an addition, or a deck, or a garage - but have chosen not to because of all the hoops and restrictions that Jeffco has added in the last 15 years.
When you find out that the 40K addition you want actually costs 75K because of what the county will make you do- this is a problem. When Hartman was asked about how to bring jobs to Jefferson County - she was oblivious to the fact that her own policies have made it harder to bring jobs here. She wanted to form a "comittee" to study the issue.
If you want business to add jobs and succeed - you dont make it harder - you find ways to make it easier! If you want a homeowner to create jobs - you dont make a 40K addition cost 75K with additional requirements. What does a wider driveway have to do with adding a deck? We need common sense in our local government again.
We all thought the same thing in Conifer, before they raped (and scraped) a really nice hillside and meadow to build the new Safeway shopping complex...
