Conifer residents who have been waiting for more than 36 months to share their thoughts regarding a controversial new bike park will soon get their wish.

The Jefferson County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday and Thursday to gather input from the community and provide recommendations to the county regarding a special use permit for the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park.

Developers and downhill bikers Phil Bouchard and Jason Evans first proposed the project in 2021. According to county documents, their vision was to create a downhill mountain bike park with lift access and 16 miles of ridable trails on 230 acres of State Land Board property, located approximately 2.2 miles west of Route 73 on Shadow Mountain Drive.

Previous public meetings about the project have highlighted a large fracture within the small mountain community.

Some residents strongly oppose the project due to environmental and quality-of-life concerns. They fear parking and overcrowding problems with the increased number of visitors — estimated to be upwards of 1,000 per day.

Others favor the park’s potential economic and recreational benefits, citing it as a potential economic driver that could boost local business and create jobs.

John Lewis, a resident who helped organize the Stop the Bike Park  movement, said his group is more than ready for the public hearing on Wednesday.

Lewis said the group focuses on creating opposition to the bike park project based on “facts with proven data from qualified individuals and research.”

He said the group’s ire toward the park is centered around concerns of increased human and vehicle traffic, safety, and environmental impact.

Their biggest concerns are wildfire and evacuation and the potential for traffic jams when leaving the area.

Lewis, who has been evacuated from his home twice, notes that the narrow two-lane highway up to the proposed park access point contains multiple blind curves and few options to pass or turn around.

“If there’s a fire like we’ve just seen here recently, and people need to evacuate, there’s only one way out, and that’s Shadow Mountain Drive,” Lewis said. “They (the applicants) have no evacuation plan. They claim that their patrons, no matter where they are on the hill, can get back to their cars, get their bikes loaded up and get out of there before the neighbors are ever ready to evacuate.”

The Denver Gazette contacted the park applicants and the Jefferson County Planning Commission but did not receive a response by publishing time.

Bouchard spoke to The Denver Gazette two years ago about the project.

“The proposal is for a seasonal, day-use recreational development in the form of a trail access mountain bike park,” Bouchard told The Denver Gazette at the time.

Asked why this location was selected Bouchard said: “From an elevation standpoint, from a topography standpoint, from an access standpoint, from a weather standpoint, basically all the things that you would look for in a development like this, the property meets those criteria.”

“This is not a property that we’re converting from protected wilderness to recreation,” said Bouchard. “It’s a property that’s firmly zoned for some sort of development.”

Individuals interested in attending the public hearing may attend in person or online:

Wed., Sept. 11, 2024

6:15 p.m.

Jefferson County Government Building

100 Jefferson County Parkway, Hearing Room One

Golden, CO 80419

Thurs., Sept. 12, 2024

5:15 p.m.

Jefferson County Government Building

100 Jefferson County Parkway, Hearing Room One

Golden, CO 80419

For online options to attend, visit www.jeffco.us/2359/Planning-Commission.

A final hearing on the project is set for Oct. 1, 2024.