GOLDEN — Jefferson County commissioners for the second time in as many months have postponed a vote on whether to allow a large Catholic retreat center near Conifer to move toward construction, deciding Tuesday afternoon that they needed more information on the potential wildfire hazards posed by the project.
The commissioners’ indecision was largely due to last-minute objections that Elk Creek Fire Protection District fire chief Bill McLaughlin expressed about his mostly volunteer department’s ability to provide fire protection to a facility that could have a structure exceeding 50 feet in height and guests numbering in the thousands per year.
McLaughlin, who was helping crews battle the Junkins fire on Tuesday, was unable to attend the hearing. That left the commissioners without answers to critical questions about the fire danger the Emmaus Catholic Retreat & Conference Center, planned for 247 acres just off U.S. 285 at Shaffers Crossing, could present to surrounding foothills neighborhoods.
“It’s imperative that we get this right,” said Commissioner Libby Szabo, explaining to dozens of residents who attended the hearing why she and her colleagues had to delay yet again a decision on a requested rezoning of the property.
The board of commissioners postponed an initial vote on the project on Sept. 13. They will take up the matter again Dec. 6.
The archdiocese of Denver, which purchased the land for $2.1 million, attracted the attention of neighbors earlier this year after it filed documents with Jefferson County that showed it planned to build an adult retreat center up to 100,000 square feet in size, a youth retreat center up to 60,000 square feet and a 20,000-square-foot chapel.
The archdiocese has since knocked down the size of the main retreat center to a proposed 38,000 square feet, featuring 52 rooms, that it would build in a first phase. But it wants to reserve the right to expand and build more in the future, vicar general Randy Dollins told the commission.
He said the archdiocese has a wildfire mitigation plan for the property that was reviewed by and signed off by experts, both of whom testified Tuesday. The center is also willing to build storage for 300,000 gallons of water that could be used for fire suppression at the site and in surrounding communities.
Dollins said the archdiocese is concerned about making too many concessions with its plans right now, such as replacing wood-fueled fire pits with gas, because he is not convinced that neighbors adamantly opposed to the project won’t find something else to object to.
“It’s tough for us to hit a moving target,” he said. “We want to know what is fair. We want to play by the rules, but we need fair rules.”
Those in the audience Tuesday were largely opposed to the retreat center. Gail Hite, a resident of nearby Douglass Ranch, said the fire hazards at Emmaus are all too real, especially with a clientele just passing through who may not recognize how susceptible the area is to wildfire.
“There are two minutes or less before fire reaches our homes,” she said.
Hite and others said whatever agreement the archdiocese signs with the Elk Creek Fire Protection District regarding fire mitigation measures needs to be “in writing” so that it can be held accountable. One of the sticking points was a desire by the department to have the archdiocese pay a fire-protection fee, given that the church pays no taxes. But the sides were unable to agree on an amount.
In addition to wildfire concerns, opponents testified that the center would be an eyesore, bring too much traffic to the U.S. 285 corridor and disturb wildlife.
But the archdiocese also had its supporters in the crowd, some of whom said a retreat is a far better alternative to 25 to 50 homes that could go on the property. Others pointed out that there are plenty of campgrounds in the area that have fire rings that use wood that haven’t sparked wildfires.
