Our Top Concerns
We oppose the Bike Park because they plan on developing a pristine meadow into a commercial enterprise putting our mountain, our community, wildlife, and environment at risk.
Safety
Adding 940 vehicle trips per day like the developers propose on a road that is a winding, narrow two-lane road with no shoulders and blind driveways puts everyone at risk
Emergency Responder Resources
The Bike Park will provide only first aid, leaving Elk Creek Fire volunteers to respond to all serious accidents on the property reducing avalability for the rest of the community.
Wildfire
The proposed development area is in an extreme wildfire risk area with no evacuation plan.
Wildlife
The proposed development area provides habitat and migratory corridor for a diverse wildlife population.
Air & Water
The car pollution, human waste, and water needs of hundreds of mountain bikers a day will have detrimental impacts.
Safety
- Shadow Mountain Drive is a winding two lane road that doesn’t have turn lanes or shoulders and this lack of safety features cannot be mitigated. Adding 940+ vehicle trips per day, as the developers suggest, on an already dangerous road is a recipe for disaster.
- There are seven school bus stops on Shadow Mountain Dr and many more on Black Mountain Dr & Brook Forest Rd. It would be tragic to have a child involved in an accident because someone didn’t notice the bus or a child crossing the road around the curve.
- The 2015 Jefferson County Safety Improvement Program Report concluded in the crash analysis that: “Shadow Mountain Drive experienced a relatively high number of accidents given its length”. The 2015 report outlined 26 accidents. There have been three fatalities between 2011 and 2020 on Shadow Mountain Drive. The proposed bike park is located approx. 2 miles from the entrance of Shadow Mountain Drive and all three fatalities have occurred within the first 2.5 miles of Shadow Mountain.
- For ten years, Shadow Mountain’s history of crashes has been documented by Crash Analysis Studies completed by Jefferson County. In addition to the 2015 report, the 2021 Crash Analysis documented that Shadow Mountain Drive continues to experience a high number of crashes.
- We already have an average of nearly 2,000 cars per day on Shadow Mountain Drive. The proposed bike park would add approximately 1,000 more cars in and out on peak days.
- The speed limit for the first 1.5 miles on Shadow Mountain Drive from Route 73 is all below 30 mph. In a recent traffic study completed by Jefferson County 98% of the people whose speed was recorded were over 30 miles per hour. 13% in the 30 mph zone were going over 50 miles per hour.
Emergency Responder Resources
- The proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park would further stretch the area’s understaffed and underfunded emergency response resources – daily increasing people in the area by up to 700 riders plus staff, amplifying bike-related injuries, and hindering traffic flow on a narrow road with only one main egress point.
- A medical study* of a similar bike park recorded 75 ambulance transports in one season. The proposed bike park would increase ambulance calls by over 40% during the biking season. *Whistler Study
- In the Rural Elk Creek Fire Protection District, 70% of the calls are for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). With the proposed bike park increasing EMS call volume, it would reduce area residents’ ability to quickly obtain medical care.
- The property is owned by the Colorado State Land Board which pays $0 in property taxes. Property taxes are how the Elk Creek Fire Protection District is funded. The bike park would add burden to Elk Creek and there currently isn’t a plan to add additional funding.
- Although the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park states they will have first aid available, their plan does not include details of transportation should additional services be needed, or the limit of what “First Aid” covers. Other similar bike parks only cover a limited number of injuries and do not include paramedics or those who can do advanced first aid.
Wildfire
- National Fire Danger Rating = Extreme: The proposed location has been given the highest wildfire-risk rating which means fires of all types start quickly, burn intensely, and spread easily – becoming very dangerous, hard to fight, and often lasting for several days. The bike park would further escalate the area’s wildfire risks.
- The plan presented by Shadow Mountain Bike Park to mitigate the increased wildfire risks brought by their proposed development is insufficient and remains lacking in key details.
- The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has said forest fires are 80% human caused. The bike park would increase wildfire risks by adding daily up to 700 additional riders/ human ignition sources plus staff to an area that already has the highest National Fire Danger Rating.
- In the case of a wildfire at the proposed location, there is only one main egress point for the bike park’s daily estimated 300 additional vehicles plus staff and all residents living in neighborhoods along Shadow Mountain Drive.
- To date, the County has not required nor have the Shadow Mountain Bike Park developers done an evacuation study to ensure human lives aren’t lost in the case of a forest fire with an estimated 300 additional cars factored into Shadow Mountain Drive’s daily traffic.
Wildlife
- The Conifer/285 Corridor Area Plan recognizes the importance of mountain meadows for area wildlife and recommends protection for their visual and ecological significance.
- The Area Plan notes that the presence of wildlife is a treasured community resource and reflects the health of the ecosystem and fosters a sense of community for residents.
- The expanding footprint of development in the community puts additional pressure on diminishing wildlife resources and their habitats.
- Habitat loss from development threatens all species of flora and fauna in the area by decreasing the availability of food, water, shelter, and space, which will diminish some animal populations.
- As per the Colorado Parks and Wildlife assessment, the Shadow Mountain Bike Park proposal will irreparably harm existing habitat, displacing wildlife living in and migrating through the proposed development area.
- Development is a leading cause of habitat destruction and fragmentation, and habitat destruction is the primary threat to the survival of wildlife and the overall biodiversity of the area.
Air & Water
- Water access in the Conifer community relies on a very fragile ecosystem. Residents access their water from the fractured aquifer residing below our homes. There is a delicate balance of the water removed by evaporation, vegetation, and wells, and water returned into the aquifer system by rainfall or snow melt.
- There is not enough water currently available on the proposed site for the bike park to operate. The water used by the guests and the business operation will exceed what is available for the Conifer community, and what is needed to recharge water back into the fragile fractured aquifer and the developers have no plan to find additional water.
- Based on the current air quality reports produced by Jefferson County for this zip code, adding additional cars, buildings, and other emissions will increase pollutants and contribute to poor air quality.
- An additional 300 vehicles in and out of the proposed development daily will create significant air pollution not to mention the other emissions that come along with buildings and development. Even though this will be an outdoor space, there will be emissions from the chair lift, the lodge, and other facilities greatly affecting the air quality.