July 1st, 2008

Grand Junction annexes land from property owner on the run

From the Grand Junction Sentinel

The Grand Junction City Council agreed Monday night to annex nearly 18 acres of land on Orchard Mesa, even as the owner of the property remains on the run from authorities and neighbors voiced concerns that development could threaten an adjacent historic trail.

Council members voted 6-0 to bring into the city nearly 18 acres at 166 Edlun Road and zone it to allow two homes per acre. Councilman Bruce Hill was absent from the meeting.

The eastern boundary of the property runs parallel to a portion of the Old Spanish Trail and is owned by The Shores LLC, a corporation created by Weld County developer Mark Strodtman. A Weld County grand jury indicted Strodtman in March on charges including theft, forgery and racketeering.

Strodtman is accused of deceiving buyers into purchasing homes owned by his real estate company, JS Real Estate LLC, and deceiving lenders into loaning money for the project. He is wanted on a $100,000 warrant, and police believe he is in Mexico.

Neighbors asked the council to postpone annexing and zoning the land, saying they are concerned any development could encroach upon the trail and reduce public access to it. Another corporation owned by Strodtman, Orchard Mesa Estates II LLP, owns another 350 acres in the area, and the property is bisected by the trail.

The two streets that could access the property, Edlun Road and Rainbow Drive, are a little more than 20 feet wide — insufficient to handle the amount of traffic that would be generated by any development, neighbors argued.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Land Management owns an easement on Sunlight Drive that leads to the trailhead. The BLM has indicated it will not relinquish the easement.

Read the full story here.