Texan billionaire and land speculator, Red McCombs, is back to first base and his original parcel of land in the heart of Alberta Park at upper Wolf Creek, Rio Grande National Forest, in southern Colorado. With it's access issues, not to mention the pristine watershed they'll need to bulldoze in order to realize the developer's dreams.
Judge ends ‘Village at Wolf Creek’ land exchange
By Aedan Hannon, Durango Herald Staff Writer - December 16, 2021
… District of Colorado Judge John L. Kane officially unwound the 2015* land exchange between Rio Grande National Forest and Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture this week, ending one of the paths forward for the development of the “Village at Wolf Creek.”
The ruling confirms a major victory for environmental groups in Southwest Colorado that have fought to stop the 1,700-unit development that would have served 8,000 to 10,000 people adjacent to the remote Wolf Creek Ski Area.
“It really just ties up the bow,” said Jimbo Buickerood, the lands and forest protection program manager with the nonprofit San Juan Citizens Alliance. …
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As a friend of Wolf Creek and Alberta Park I know that special thanks goes to San Juan Citizens Alliance & San Luis Valley Ecosystems Council :
San Juan Citizens Alliance Guide to Wolf Creek
We’ve been fighting for over ten years to protect Wolf Creek Pass, a critical wildlife corridor
https://www.sanjuancitizens.org/the-village-at-wolf-creek
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San Luis Valley Ecosystems Council
WOLF CREEK PASS DEVELOPMENTS
Research, Education and Advocacy
Wolf Creek Pass sits on the Continental Divide within the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado. Its waters drain to the San Juan River and the Pacific Ocean and to the Rio Grande which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.
A proposal is underway to build a resort complex next to the ski area on former public land, see "Village" below.
Wolf Creek Pass is also home to a world class "Ma and Pa" family-owned ski area now seeking expansion. www.slvec.org/wolf-creek-pass-developments
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In 1986, Leavell Properties, Inc (later joined by Texas billionaire B.J. “Red” McCombs to form the Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture, or LMJV) swapped land with the United States Forest Service to obtain a property on top of Wolf Creek Pass, surrounded by Forest Service land. The 300 acre parcel was originally proposed as a modest development of 200 units and accompanying infrastructure.
Over time, McCombs, who now spearheads the project, expanded the original plan to create a new “Village at Wolf Creek” – a development of over 1,700 units including hotels, restaurants, boutique shops, condos and townhomes. At full buildout the “village” would house upto 10,000 residents, more that the population of either Vail or Aspen.
McCombs has spent more than 35 years attempting to circumvent legitimate public review of his proposed “Village” and to gain year-round highway access to the isolated property. His efforts have included attaching riders to unrelated legislation, lobbying for federal staff appointments favorable to his plans, and even writing local land use codes that would guide the development.
Since the beginning, the Friends of Wolf Creek – a coalition of environmental organizations from around the state – have fought to ensure the “Village” is never realized. The group has been able to keep construction at bay, force the Forest Service to properly complete Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and to make their documents regarding the exchange and environmental studies public.
For a full history of this ongoing battle, check out our history outline here.
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Village at Wolf Creek – Privatization of public lands
For 30 years, Texas billionaire Red McCombs has been throwing money at a ski resort development project squarely in the middle of important Canada lynx habitat atop Wolf Creek Pass near Durango, Colorado. McCombs attempted to secure access to the Village at Wolf Creek ski resort via a land exchange with the Forest Service, but conservationists challenged the deal, resulting in a federal court rejecting it in 2017. McCombs doubled down, appealing the decision in court while also asking the agency to grant access under a different law. On February 28, 2019, the Forest Service caved into McCombs’ demands by granting that access. The conservationists will, once again, head to court.
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