Alpenglow Magazine | Grand Park

Grand Park
An Impressive Mountain Community

By Frank Martin

When Aspen resident Clark Lipscomb first set foot in Colorado’s Fraser River Valley some six years ago, he was flat out blown away. “Quite frankly, I didn’t know that there was a place as beautiful as this with all of these great recreational amenities this close to Denver,” he explained. “I was really intrigued.”

Now a full-time resident with a wife and newborn child at this Rocky Mountain resort area, the 33-year-old Vice President for Real Estate at Cornerstone Holdings is off and running with a real estate project that could top $200-million in developer investments, add some 2,500 new residences for both local and second homeowners, put an additional 1,200 hotel rooms into play and eventually bring nearly 500,000-square-feet of commercial space including a new town center complete with shops and restaurants that could be breaking ground sometime in 2006.

And he plans to have a lot of fun in the process.

“I’ve taken a personal interest in this project,” he explained at his downtown Winter Park office, which he shares with his two rambunctious dogs, Ellie and Daisy. “It’s my baby — plus I just like building stuff.”

Owned by Tom and Bonnie McCloskey, Cornerstone Holdings, L.L.C. is a 30-year-old company based in Aspen. Its projects include Kealia Kai, a 300-acre beachfront resort in the Hawaiian Islands. Cornerstone originally came to the Fraser Valley in 1999 as a partner with the nearby Rendezvous development. But the partners split up.

Rendezvous, on the west side of the highway, is currently proceeding with Moosehorn Cabins by Colonnade Resort Communities — a community of homes with classic cabin architecture. It is also offering heavily wooded custom homesites and triplex townhomes.

The historic white ranch house on the property, now occupied by the Grand County Historical Association, was owned by Billy Cozens who operated the place as both a stage stop and a post office in the 1800’s. The story goes that he would sit on the front porch in his rocking chair and look out at the meadow at the end of the day. In fact, when the railroad first came through the area, it staked out its route right through this prized land. He promptly shot out the stakes with his rifle and the railroad adjusted its course back into the trees.

“That meadow happens to be one of the last bastions of the big open space along Highway 40 up at this end of the valley,” exclaimed Lipscomb. “It’s very unique and it presented a great opportunity for us to develop a unique town center and unique neighborhoods along its edges — and still preserve the meadow.”

The Cozens Meadow neighborhood is the first of several residential areas planned in Grand Park. It will feature an appealing mix of 50 craftsman-style single-family homes and up to 30 townhomes in a traditional neighborhood setting.

The Craftsman-style architecture is a traditional design reminiscent of the early 1900’s with front porches, a comfortable feel, kitchens with plenty of workspace and master bedrooms designed with large, attached baths. “It is timeless architecture,” said Lipscomb.

The initial offering includes 23 homes with prices in the $400,000’s. With a commitment to simple, elegant design and efficient use of space, the homes feature gourmet kitchens and well-designed living spaces. Buyers will also have several options for customization, including nine different floor plans, a choice of exterior finishes and colors, seven different garage designs, a selection of interior packages and optional bonus rooms over the garage.

“By incorporating Craftsman-style homes, and several unique customization options, we are developing a rather unique quality standard for a Colorado mountain community,” he said. “Current trends in real estate indicate that while people want choices when building a home, starting from scratch often results in an overwhelming amount of options. By creating a standard of design, and allowing buyers a wide range of options in creating the details of their home, we are providing a more pleasurable building experience and a more appealing long-term real estate investment.”

The community is intended for both local residents and second homeowners. Houses range in size from 1,372- to 2,740-square-feet. The lots themselves are relatively small, ranging in size from .12 to .21 acres.

“What we’re doing here is traditional type neighborhoods of a style that hasn’t been done in this area before,” explained Lipscomb. “I didn’t want the typical cabin in the woods scenario in these first neighborhoods because it just didn’t fit here.”

Approximately one-third of the overall 1,330-acre development will be preserved as open space. A system of pathways will connect neighbors to each other and the environment, while the planned town center is expected to be a new bustling commercial and residential hub for both residents of Grand Park and throughout the valley.

In fact, it’s the new town center that might just steal the show. What Cornerstone has planned is a village, right off of Highway 40 — the only thoroughfare through the valley. It’s a Main Street U.S.A. theme where people can park their cars and stroll from storefront to storefront.

“I think people want a hangout spot. I know I do,” says Lipscomb. “I need a place where I can walk up the street with my wife and daughter. When we can’t decide where to eat, we can walk up and down the street and choose from five or 10 different restaurants without having to get back into the car.”

With third floor residential lofts to be offered for sale, twenty-foot-wide sidewalks where tables can spill over in the summers, and parking conveniently located in the town center, Lipscomb said this village will resemble many of the successful restaurant and bar districts in downtown areas around the country.

“It is downtown America,” he said. “It is Main Street U.S.A.”

The architecture itself Lipscomb describes as pre-World War I with traditional main streets, buildings with false fronts and ranch-style barns. The ground floor will house shops, restaurants and consumer services — while the upper floors will include professional services and business offices as well as the residential lofts.

Where did all the individual building designs come from? Lipscomb travels frequently and is never without his camera: He liked a building, he shot it and brought back the pictures. And, voila!

“It’s from Hendersonville, North Carolina,” he explained. “There’s some stuff from Kansas. There’s stuff from west Texas. And there’s a ton of stuff from Colorado.” That means big influences from historic towns like Idaho Springs, Aspen, Leadville, Silverton, Durango and downtown Steamboat Springs.

Designs aside, what’s important is that the property, be vehicular-friendly and provide easy access to the businesses. “You want to go to a coffee shop, you want to be able to park right at the shop.” he said.

In the end, though, it’s really all about the attractions of Winter Park and the Fraser Valley as a family-friendly resort. “I think it’s what distinguishes the whole Fraser Valley from places like Aspen,” he explained. “It has a family relationship you just don’t find at very many other resort towns.”

And one thing that’s for sure — Lipscomb is going to enjoy himself with Grand Park. “I take pride in what I do — and it’s fun for me,” he said. “My rule of thumb is that if you’re doing something you don’t enjoy, go do something else.”