Commission approves Lake Creek Lodge expansion

Voting 6-0 the Jefferson County Planning Commission last week approved Gordon Jones' proposed expansion at Camp Sherman's Lake Creek Lodge.

The new owner plans to add 24 cabins and a new meeting hall on the 42-acre historic site located on Road 1419. Presently, there are 17 cabins and the lodge on the property and these will be refurbished along with improvements to the present swimming pool and tennis courts.

Phase 1 of the project calls for construction of two new cabins on the north portion of the property across from Pine Lodge Road. Phase 2 will include construction of a new septic system for the project at an estimated cost of $300,000. Later phases will complete the project.

Jones, the single property owner, plans to sell the 41 cabins to individual owners. These owners will have six months of cabin use per year with the other six months offering rental use split into roughly four equal quarters. Jones and the cabin owners will split rental fees on a 60:40 basis. Room tax (6 percent) will be collected by Jefferson County for cabin occupancy other than by owners.

The 24 new three-bedroom, three-bath cabins will be 1,350 square feet with 550 square feet of deck space and interior fireplaces. The 17 older cabins will be refurbished to match the new cabins but will not be enlarged from their present size.

At a highly vocal meeting on June 12 (see The Nugget, June 18, 2003), several speakers raised concerns about the project with the Jefferson County commissioners. At that meeting it was decided to allow seven days for more comments before any decision was rendered. A decision would then be made at the July 10 meeting but no new input would be allowed during deliberation by the commissioners.

At the decision meeting, Butch Parker, Community Development Administrator, told the commissioners that county legal counsel had said the project would comply with existing land use planning.

Commission members voiced several concerns during their discussion. Chairperson Don Martin mentioned traffic and density;members Kay Moon and Roy Hyder voiced concern about traffic patterns on Road 1419; and member Evan Thomas questioned the single-owner concept and monitoring room-tax enforcement.

But the concerns did not impede the unanimous vote.

One commissioner noted that self-interest and public scrutiny would help ensure an appropriate project.

"It doesn't make sense for the new owner to tear things up," said Martin.

"With the eyes of Camp Sherman on him, he'll have to tip-toe through the tulips with his project."

Jones had submitted a five-page list of conditions that he would agree to in trying to answer some of the local community concerns over the size and scope of his project.

These addressed parking, lighting, pedestrian/bike path access, water rights with neighbors, meeting hall occupancy, an archeological assessment, a wildlife overlay zone, development of a riparian corridor and a time limitation of five years for obtaining all permits for construction.

Along with Martin, Gannon, Hyder, Moon and Thomas, commissioner Dick Dodson also voted in favor of the plan. Commission member Kim Seeley was absent.

Questioned after the commission vote, Jones said, "I'm very pleased with the decision. I want to live in Camp Sherman and work with the local community."