Location

El Rancho is named for the original El Rancho hotel and restaurant, a two-story log building built on old U.S. Highway 40 in 1948. Today it is at the intersection of U.S. 40 and State Highway 74 (Evergreen Parkway) at Interstate 70 exits 251-252. It is functionally and administratively part of Evergreen, Colorado, 80439, in western Jefferson County.

The immediate vicinity of the intersection of Highway 74 and Interstate 70 is known locally as El Rancho, while the original restaurant building still stands with its iconic neon sign proclaiming the location. A large shopping center in Swede Gulch, east of the highway, was developed as "El Rancho Town Center" in the early 2000s.

Topics

Scenic & Historical Values

The El Rancho Building is an historical structure, although without historic status. Built in 1948, it was a community meeting place for decades when Highway 40 was the main route west from Denver to the mountains. Highway 40 was completed through this area in 1937. More than twenty years earlier, the Lariat Loop was routed through what was then a mosaic of forests and natural hay meadows, connecting the Denver Mountain Parks together between Genesee and Bear Creek Canyon. When this portion of Interstate 70 was completed in 1972, it followed the topography of an existing valley and was described as "peeking through the pines." The Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway, which today follows Interstate 70 and Highway 74, was designated in 2002. El Rancho is within the scenic corridor recognized in the Lariat Loop Corridor Management Plan, and the 30-mile view to the Continental Divide remains unobstructed today. The I-70 foothills corridor remains bordered by native vegetation. The topography surrounding El Rancho has remained largely unaltered, as well: from every perspective and vantagepoint, the horizon is defined by hilltops, natural hillslopes are maintained, and the foreground and vistas are dominated by pine forest. Protecting these values is a priority of the Evergreen Area Plan.

Community Use

Community Use is a land use recognized and encouraged by the Jefferson County Comprehensive Master Plan. At El Rancho, the area of Community Use where we have built the Foothills Fire Station, Alpine Rescue Team headquarters, Park-n-Ride lot, and Genesee Bike Path access on publicly-owned land has been identified as appropriate for commercial development, IF the existing community uses were to go away. These resources have been sited strategically at El Rancho for decades, supported by both public investment and private philanthropy. They are well maintained, well used, serve essential functions, and could not be duplicated in this vicinity. The developer of the proposed, so-called "Evergreen Gateway" development engaged in efforts to make these facilities leave this site, to be replaced with a large hotel and gas station aimed at non-resident interstate travelers. The community successfully defended its built assets, but the developer's efforts drove RTD away, and to date the bus stops at El Rancho have not been reinstated. It is a net loss for the community and area planning for public transportation.

Siting & Scale

The built landscape at El Rancho reflects a history of decisions. West of Highway 74, structures are widely-spaced, visually buffered by stands of forest and separated from main roads by low berms. Buildings are one- or two-story, with topographically sensitive siting and rooflines. Outdoor lighting is minimized (a 14×48-foot LED billboard facing Interstate 70 at El Rancho was proposed but defeated by the community in 2015). These choices are consistent with the guidelines of the Evergreen Area Plan, including those specific to the El Rancho Activity Center, and reflect the priorities of the Lariat Loop Corridor Management Plan. These outcomes preserve the aesthetic and functional priorities of a mountain residential community. The proposed, so-called "Evergreen Gateway" development would feature high-density siting and outsized, high-profile buildings. It would eliminate about five acres of forest in the immediate field of view and drastically alter natural topography and drainage. The "vision" for this alleged development, explicitly, is "downtown Vail", not Evergreen.

Transportation & Traffic

El Rancho is a nexus of several travel routes. Interstate 70, State Highway 74, and U.S. Highway 40 intersect here. It is on the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway, and the Genesee Bike Path connects three regional bike routes. Until recently, El Rancho was also a stop on the RTD EV bus route, with pedestrian islands conveniently located near the Park-n-Ride lot at this intersection; although maintaining a transit option at El Rancho is a priority of the Evergreen Area Plan, RTD service at El Rancho has already been lost as a direct consequence of the proposed, so-called "Evergreen Gateway" development. El Rancho is principally a residential community, with a major commercial area across the highway. Proposals for additional commercial development west of Highway 74 aim to attract Interstate 70 traffic, all of which would pass through the intersection of 40 & 74 and add to the congestion experienced by residents. Although the data have since been rescinded, a developer-commissioned traffic study in 2021 estimated that the proposed, so-called "Evergreen Gateway" development on Highway 40 would at least double from present levels the daily number of trips on that road. The proposed re-routing of residential Rainbow Hill Road through the commercial development was always untenable and was defeated in part by community opposition.

Fire & Water

El Rancho is at the farthest end of the Evergreen and West Jefferson County Metropolitan Districts, which provide water and sewer service to the surrounding commercial area. (Municipal water travels about 8 miles from Bear Creek.) The water board has indicated that there are enough "taps" available and water to serve new development, yet it acknowledges that restrictions must be imposed on the existing system throughout Evergreen during drought conditions (read more here). At the same time, the water system is not capable of providing "fire flow" (a measure of the rate of delivery over a required period of time at a required pressure) to the El Rancho area, even for existing development. The original proposal for the so-called "Evergreen Gateway" development on less than 10 acres north of Highway 40 projected water use at 5.5 million gallons of water a year, including for what would be a third hotel at this same interchange. The density of existing development in the surrounding area presents particular challenges for fire safety now, and in this area may require the installation of large cisterns to ensure public safety where flow to hydrants is already inadequate (read more here). Additionally, because Highway 74 is a bottleneck for emergency evacuation from the Evergreen area, increasing commercial density around the already high-risk vicinity of El Rancho poses a very real concern for resident safety in a wildland fire scenario (read more here and here).

Details & Links

County Planning

Jefferson County Comprehensive Master Plan

Evergreen Area Plan

Jeffco Planning & Zoning process (enter address to find historical and current applications)

El Rancho Neighborhood Updates

"Evergreen Gateway" ("Observatory") development

see *UPDATES* for history and further details

Jefferson County Planning
The 2021 rezoning application was withdrawn in April 2023. There is currently no proposal under review for the property at 29259-29339 US Hwy 40. Additional land intended to be annexed (see CDOT notes) will require rezoning if it is acquired. Despite the absence of a plan, the owner is currently marketing "lots" that have not been approved and include land area he does not yet own. (see UPDATES for more information)

A Corporate Violation - Grading Violation was issued on 11/2/2023 (#23 133091 000 00 CV) for "Land disturbance of property potentially without a permit and not meeting performance standards." (see UPDATES for more information)

A Stop Work Order was issued on 1/10/2024 (#24 100759 000 SW BP) for "DEMO 2 Story Restaurant without permit." (see UPDATES for more information)

(12/21/2023) The owner has applied for a Grading Permit (#23 138444 000 00 GPA) to import 94,000 cubic yards of fill and disturb more than 6 acres of land. (see UPDATES for more information)

(2/27/2024) The owner has applied to establish a metropolitan district through the creation of public debt (#2024 104434 000 00 SV). (see UPDATES for more information)

Evergreen Metro/West Jefferson County Metropolitan District
The properties north of US Hwy 40 are already included in the water/wastewater district, but there are currently no water taps or water/wastewater infrastructure associated with these properties. There is no will-serve letter associated with the alleged development.

CDOT
The application to obtain right-of-way adjacent to the private land has not been reviewed or approved; if acquired, rezoning will be necessary (see Jeffco notes).

Access to the alleged development from US Hwy 40 at the proposed new location has not been reviewed or approved.

RTD/Park-n-Ride
RTD withdrew its service at El Rancho in 2022 as a result of early negotiations with the developer; it has not reinstated service (see UPDATES for more information). As a consequence, the Park-n-Ride lot is no longer being maintained by RTD, but no changes are currently planned by CDOT.

Community Use/Rainbow Hill Road
The Foothills Fire & Rescue Rainbow Hill station and Alpine Rescue Team headquarters will not be relocated, and Jefferson County has declined to reroute Rainbow Hill Road through the alleged development as initially proposed (see UPDATES for more information).

Fairfield Inn & Suites (Swede Gulch)

A proposed 85-room hotel in Swede Gulch (28656 Tepees Way) has received full approval from the Board of County Commissioners (10/27/2022). The building permit application has begun (8/29/2023). This will be the second hotel at the Evergreen Parkway Interchange.

CDOT Pegasus parking lot (Exit 251/US Hwy 40)

As part of the Floyd Hill Project, the Colorado Department of Transportation has proposed a large parking lot to serve its Pegasus I-70 shuttle service to be located at I-70 exit 251 (29899 US Hwy 40). Contrary to Jefferson County planning that favors a multimodal transit option to be located within the El Rancho Activity Center, the proposed 84-space, single-purpose lot would be located 3/4 mile from El Rancho and any other pedestrian or public transportation route. The location nonetheless received approval from the County's Planning Commission (8/23/2023). See also New parking lot on I-70 at El Rancho (Canyon Courier, 9/7/2023), which notes subsequently that the lot may have just 50 spaces. CDOT currently provides few details on its Floyd Hill Early Projects site.

The El Rancho Building

(6/8/2023) Owner Buchanan began discussions with the County regarding rezoning the El Rancho Building property (29260 US Hwy 40) to Mixed Use (#2023 112663 000 00 PA). The uses could potentially include Air BnB units above the restaurant and additional condominium-style housing on the property. The property currently has C-1 zoning that already allows for hotel use, but not for residential use. *UPDATE* (1/4/2024): The pre-application deadline has lapsed and no further application materials have been submitted.

El Rancho Restaurant to Reopen (Canyon Courier, 11/15/2022)
Note: The restaurant reopened in January 2023. *UPDATE* (4/10/2024): When the restaurant reopened, it was reported that the new owners had "signed a [10-year] lease and operating agreement with Bonanno Concepts. [Owner] Northstar Ventures will not be involved in the restaurant’s operation." As of April 2024, Bonanno Concepts no longer operates the restaurant. The owner has subsequently said that the previously touted 22% automatic tip, a Bonanno Concepts policy to benefit restaurant staff, has been eliminated.

The former owners of El Rancho Restaurant and Brewery filed for bankruptcy (9/22/2022).  One, below-asking offer of $2.7M was made and accepted for the property, from "1948 Holdings LLC" (Sherry Buchanan and Todd Ables, agents).  The Colorado Bankruptcy Court granted a motion to approve the contract (11/9/2022) and the sale was finalized the next day.  The would-be buyers in the court filing indicated an interest in reopening the restaurant in time for the holidays as their basis for requesting an expedited decision. The offer in the filing was co-signed by developer Jack Buchanan (see "Evergreen Gateway").  Ables represents Trans-Bay Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based real estate finance corporation specializing in multi-unit commercial and residential properties. The managing partnership of "1948 Holdings LLC" includes Buchanan and Travis McAfoos (owner of the former First Bank property).

El Rancho in Evergreen Hits Market Ahead of Foreclosure Sale (8/12/2022)

Press & Media

Letter: An apt phrase is ‘fool’s errand’ (Canyon Courier, 2/1/2024, p.8)

Letter: Density is not in Evergreen’s character, or interest (Canyon Courier, 8/17/2023, p.12)

Letter: Smoke, Mirrors (Canyon Courier, 1/24/2023, p.8)
NOTE: The developer recently accused the author of fabricating this letter to the editor. Read here for his comments and the original sources on which the letter was based.

RTD Park-n-Ride at El Rancho Should Remain Open (Canyon Courier, 10/5/2022, p.8)

Letter: Don't Block the View (Canyon Courier, 8/30/2022, p.8)

Letter: Evergreen — it's all your water (Canyon Courier, 8/3/2022, p.8)

Eminent Domain in Reverse (Canyon Courier, 6/14/2022, p.9)

Letter: In response to Nate Marshall's March 17 letter to the editor (Canyon Courier, 4/15/2022, p.8)

Evergreen "Gateway" (Canyon Courier, 2/2/2022, p.9)

Action Items

Petition (1/15/2024): Contain Commercial Zoning and Enshrine Community Use in the El Rancho Activity Center
UPDATE 2/13/2024: The petition with its 119 signatures and 88 comments from the Evergreen community has been submitted to Jefferson County Planning & Zoning as a contribution to the ongoing Comprehensive Master Plan revision process. Thank you to all who took the time to learn about and support this proposed revision.

ARCHIVED Petition (9/3/2022): Keep El Rancho Community Use
UPDATE 5/7/2023: Facing obstacles from the community, the County rezoning process, water board, fire department, and CDOT, the developer withdrew his rezoning application in April 2023. Thanks to the 119 neighbors and friends who signed to let the agencies know of the community's opposition to the original proposal!

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H.E.E.D.

What neighbors are saying: