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AZL Resources, Inc. established the Baca Grande Corporation in 1971 to develop the northeast part of its 154,000 acre Baca Grant cattle ranch in southern Colorado near the small town of Crestone. This ranch, which was acquired by AZL in 1962, has a colorful past associated with cattle ranching, railroading and boom town gold mining. For centuries the only humans were Ute and Comanche Indians, who along with the bear and mountain lion, came to hunt the land's abundant herds of deer, antelope and elk. Then, in the 16th Century, came Spaniards searching for the legendary "Seven Cities of Gold." Following these explorations, the United States Government ratified in 1823 the award of five Spanish land grants, including the Baca Grant to the Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca family. In the 18th century, the Spaniards had discovered and begun to mine gold on this land. Later, these mines were abandoned, but gold mining was resumed here in the 1870s, which resulted in the birth of several thriving communities. The largest of these mines, The Independence, is now part of the Baca Grande. Most of the original Baca Grant is still a working cattle ranch. But the remainder, 14,000 acres of the choicest land, had been set aside for the Baca Grande. The Baca Grande, encompassing 14,000 acres, started development in 1971 as a planned community embodying a western ranch motif. The property is situated in the foothills directly abutting the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains above the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Most homesites have a direct view of the mountain range, including a panoramic view of up to four peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation. There are also miles of mountain trails and numerous mountain lakes, both on company-owned land and in the national park adjoining the property. The Baca Grande is directly adjacent to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument to the south, a 36,000 acre natural wonder which attracts over 300,000 visitors annually, and by the 1.8 million acre Rio Grande National Forest to the north and east. Within several hours drive are a number of points of interest such as Mesa Verde National Park, Pike's Peak and the Pueblo and Navajo Indian countries. Additionally, the Baca Grande is less than 60 miles from the Monarch ski area and 95 miles from Wolf Creek ski area, which claims the highest snowfall in the nation. The development is located about 180 miles southwest of Denver and 49 miles northeast of Alamosa, Colorado. Access is by State Highway 17 and County Road T ( the Crestone Road), both of which are dual-lane, asphalt-paved highways. Air service is available from Denver to Alamosa via Great Lakes Airlines. The Baca Grande is situated between 7,620 and 8,780 feet above sea level. Over one-third of its subdivided area is situated in the foothills with a coverage of dense pinion pine, aspen and cottonwood trees, and the balance in areas offering the more usual open topography of the western prairie. The property also has four streams, which divide it into five sections. All of the land is currently platted and surveyed. The master plan calls for single-family dwellings. Of the 14,000 acres, approximately 28% of the total land or over 4,000 acres has been reserved for recreational area, including woods, natural parks, riding and hiking trails and 300 feet of greenbelt to either side of the four streams. Community and other facilities have been completed, including a restaurant accommodating up to 75 persons, tennis courts and stables facilities. Other amenities include a 9 hole golf course, a recreational vehicle park and a rifle range. The property at the Baca Grande Development includes Chalet lots of one-half acre or more which are generally tree covered with areas of meadow, rolling land and sandy soil. The Grants lots are two to five acre lots and the mobile home estate lots range in size up to 7,000 square fee. All property is suitable for building conventional concrete slab, wood frame or custom dwellings. Many alternative building materials such as straw bales and Ener-grid are also used in housing construction in the Baca. Today the Baca Grande is a place for many educational and spiritual group gatherings and conferences. Colorado College, The Spiritual Life Institute, Haidakandi Universal Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Learning Center and many others are holding programs at the Baca. Please visit us and see what the Baca has to offer.
Baca Grande General Information Property Owners Association (POA) The Baca Grande is under the jurisdiction of the Property Owners Association. The covenants and restrictions governing the development of the Baca are enforced by the POA Board of Directors and various committees. A copy of the Covenants and Restrictions can be obtained at the POA office or at Crestone Realty, Inc. The address of the Association is P.O. Box 237, Crestone, CO 81131 Baca Grande Subdivision Annual fees: $220.00 The fees support the maintenance of the amenities such
as the golf course, greenbelts, stables, parks, emergency medical team,
maintenance shop and the library.
Environmental and Architectural Committee (E&AC) Since there are no specific building codes (the Uniform Building Codes are recommended) required through the county, the POA has established an E&AC Committee to review and approve all building plans. A building application package can be obtained at the POA office for a fee of $10. There is a $200 application fee that must accompany the package submittal. Saguache County does have an improvement notification that must be completed for tax assessment purposes. Utility Policies SLV Rural Electric Co-op
Electricity hook-up is available to most lots. If not, the SLV REC will allow $1100 for installation of the lines for rural residents. Any costs above that will be paid by the property owner. For new accounts, the security deposit is $150. The security deposit may be waived pending an acceptable credit check. Call the REC with your social security number and former address for the credit check. Columbine Telecom Co.
The deposits for new accounts are $200 for a business line and $100 for residential. A letter of credit from the former telephone company will waive the deposit requirement. The line will be switched over within a week. For estimates, call Peggy or Laurie. Baca Grande Water & Sanitation District
Water & sewer hook-up is available to most lots in the Chalet regions. A list of the lots with water and sewer coverage are available through the district. If lines have not been run to a specific lot, the cost to bring in utilities will be paid by the property owner. As other lot owners build in the area, their share of the line extension costs will be prorated and paid to the lot owner who originally paid the fee. The tap fee to tap into the main water and sewer line, is now $5000, but is transferred with the sale of the lot if the current owner has paid the fee. The paid tap fee is also transferred on all lots acquired by treasurer’s deed if the deed was recorded prior to August 1993. At the time of construction, the lot owner will be assessed a fee to offset the cost of materials used for the tap. To determine the material costs, the water district can be reached at 719-256-4310. There is a minimum water usage charge of $32.00 per month for water usage and sewage treatment. Water usage above 4000 gallons is charged at $1.50 per 1000 gallons. |
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P.O. Box 279 Crestone, CO 81131 (719)256-4864 - FAX (719)256-4868 E-mail us at cri@fone.net |
