WEEK OF JANUARY 16, 2025
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 46
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Owners seek rezoning of acreage in Elizabeth Gold Creek Commons could see as many as 195 homes built on site
28-year resident returns to Town Hall after 2023 recall from Board of Trustees
BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A 56.5-acre parcel of land, tentatively called Gold Creek Commons, bordering the Cimarron subdivision may be potentially rezoned with an eye toward development in the future. Residents of the subdivision, located just outside of Elizabeth, received a notice from David Bourne about the parcel at 2481 Highway 86. Bourne is a representative for the trustees of the Stephen W & Bette M Gibson Charitable Remainder Trust, which owns the property. The property was annexed by the town in 2007 and is 1.1 miles from town center. An approved zoning plan and planned unit development (PUD) already exists, but after 17 years, with market changes and nearby development, the trustees felt the previous PUD no longer seemed like the best plan for the area. As a result, they’re looking to rezone the property. A neighborhood meeting regarding potential rezoning and future commercial and residential development took place on Dec. 19 at Elizabeth Town Hall. This type of meeting is a very early step in the process before submitting an application to the town for rezoning. After the meeting, the trustees will have a pre-application meeting with the Town of Elizabeth, which provides a chance for the town to provide feedback and make recommendations. Afterwards, the trust will submit their finalized application to the Elizabeth Board of Trustees and present it at a public meeting. The town will then decide whether or not to rezone. If the property is rezoned, then the trust will move forward with platting the property. Bourne and trustee Steve Gibson were present at the neighborhood meeting to get feedback and share how they’d like to rezone the property and why. Town of Elizabeth staff also attended to take notes. The entire process will probably take months. In response to questions from the residents present, Bourne said important steps like traffic studies, environ-
Angela Ternus begins term as Elizabeth mayor BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A handout of proposed new zoning was available to those who attended the neighborhood meeting. The new zoning has significantly less commercial space, at 6 acres, and about 39 acres set aside for residential.
SEE REZONING, P12
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 14 | SPORTS: 16 | CALENDAR: 17 | PUZZLES: 18
PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY
The Town of Elizabeth voted in a new mayor at the end of 2024. In a close race, Angela Ternus received 671 votes for mayor over 624 votes for the incumbent, Tammy Payne. Ternus’ four-year term as mayor began on Dec. 10, when she was sworn in along with members of the Elizabeth Board of Trustees. The new board is comprised of Dave Conley, Shannon Downs, Loren Einspahr, Tracy Hutchins and Michael Schroder. When asked why she decided to run for mayor, Ternus said she “didn’t care for the decisions being made by the board, their lack of transparency, their spending of taxpayers’ money, and their dismissal of what some town residents had to say at their meetings.” She was also concerned by the lack of discussion during board meetings. “I found this to be worrisome,” she said, “when time and again their decisions were unanimous.” Ternus has been a resident of Elizabeth for more than 28 years and plans to retire here. “I am a third-generation born in Colorado. My grandfather was born in 1885 in Douglas County and my mother was born and raised in Douglas County on the property my great-grandfather bought in about 1890,” she shared. Ternus has been involved in town affairs since 2007, when she was asked to apply to be on the Elizabeth Planning Commission by the town administrator at the time. She served on the Planning Commission until 2011 and then applied to fill a mid-term vacancy on the Board of Trustees. In 2012, she lost her seat. In 2015, she was appointed to fill another mid-term vacancy. She was elected to the board in both 2016 and 2020 but, in 2023, a successful recall effort was mounted against her. “I did not plan to run again anytime in the near future, if ever,” she said. “I had been `beat up’ for four years on social media and needed a break from being the target. I continued to attend SEE MAYOR, P12
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