The Eastern Plains Badger

Elbert County weighs Meadowbrook Ranches rezone for three-lot split

A proposal would change 35 acres near Parker from Agriculture to Agriculture Residential. Hearings are scheduled for Aug. 4 and Aug. 12; no final votes or conditions have been verified.

Published
Location map from the Elbert County Vail Rezone exhibit showing the proposed Meadowbrook Ranches site and nearby roads near Parker. The map depicts the proposed site area, not a final subdivision approval or exact parcel boundary.
Location map from the Elbert County Vail Rezone exhibit showing the proposed Meadowbrook Ranches site and nearby roads near Parker. The map depicts the proposed site area, not a final subdivision approval or exact parcel boundary.

Elbert County is considering a request to rezone 35 acres at 43248 Meadowbrook Circle near Parker from Agriculture to Agriculture Residential, allowing a three-lot split in the Meadowbrook Ranches subdivision. The county staff report identifies the case as the Vail Rezone, RZ-2026-0002, with a related minor plat proposing two 10-acre lots and one 15-acre lot.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing at 6 p.m. Aug. 4, followed by a Board of County Commissioners hearing at 1 p.m. Aug. 12, the county’s public hearing notice says. The commission will hear evidence and public comment and make a recommendation; the BOCC will later decide whether to approve, deny or condition the request. The Planning Commission agenda describes the hearings as quasi-judicial, meaning decisions must be based on adopted standards and competent, substantial evidence presented at the hearing.

As of July 29, neither hearing had occurred in the available record. The conditions below are agency referral requirements or recommendations, not final approvals:

  • The existing well, permit No. 209382, would have to be re-permitted under augmentation plan case 03CW0102 — or plugged and abandoned — before subdivision approval, according to Colorado Division of Water Resources comments.
  • Driveway and access plans would have to meet county standards, including a 16-foot all-weather driving surface. Public Works also called for final plans stamped by a Colorado professional engineer or surveyor.
  • Any CORE Electric extension serving the new lots would have to be underground, with additional utility easements.
  • The two new lots would need separate septic permits. County comments also say each building with bathrooms would need septic and driveway permits before a building-permit application.

The agency referral comments identify the property as part of Meadowbrook Ranches and call the proposed subdivision “Meadowbrook Ranches Amendment 1.” It is separate from the previously covered Freedom Valley Ranch matter. Final votes and any conditions will need to be confirmed through official minutes, vote records or signed approval documents.