LARKSPUR, Colo. (KDVR) — Nearly 1,100 residents in the area of Larkspur have signed a petition to “Stop the Truck Stop” currently proposed to be built off Upper Lake Gulch Road off Interstate 25.
“I think people of Larkspur want progress but this isn’t progression, this is regression and it will destroy what makes Larkspur, Larkspur,” Shawn Carroll, who moved there 13 months ago, said.
Carroll said along with others he was originally under the impression that the area being developed would be a little travel oasis, he said that’s how it was originally presented. He said they weren’t expecting a 60-spot truck stop.
“They are going to take away what makes this area attractive to so many,” Carroll said.
Sam Doyle, who has lived in Larkspur since 1981, said the big worry is the town’s water, waste, and environmental impacts. And, of course, he said the traffic it would bring, especially with large semis, is of major concern.
“Truck stops attract prostitution and drugs. Not all of them but a lot of them,” Doyle said.
Dirt is already being moved at the corner of Upper Lake Gulch Road and Spruce Mountain Road. FOX31/Channel 2 reached out to the Town of Larkspur to see why that was happening. They said the town has a code that allows an engineer to approve grading to start before site approval.
“The frustration is they keep moving this dirt then we go to the mayor and ask what’s going on and she will say nothing has been approved,” Doyle said.
FOX31 and Channel 2 were able to get ahold of the developer Brian Bair, the principal at Mass Equities, Inc.
“They are able to develop as it is a use by right from rezoning that was approved in September of 2022 by the Town of Larkspur,” Bair said.
Bair also said over the phone, they are calling it a travel center and have already started the infrastructure work. He said they want to work with residents to address the issues and concerns.
“At the end of the day there are two truck stops 15 miles from here, we don’t need another one,” Doyle said.
Deputy Town Clerk of Larkspur Heather Yanda also talked with FOX31 and Channel 2. Yanda said that they are listening to everything the community is saying.
“The site plans are in preliminary stages of the application process and it’s not appropriate for them to comment until the application is complete,” Yanda said.
As for the application process, Yanda explained it currently sits in the referral process which means organizations like the Colorado Department of Transportation and the railroad have to be reached out to, to see what concerns they may have. Yanda said that process could take several months.
“Based on what we’ve seen in these meetings, no one is for it,” Doyle said.
