Gunbarrel residents discuss proposed Tennis Center of the Rockies

Gunbarrel residents met at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road on Dec. 17 to discuss the "Tennis Center of the Rockies" proposed to be built at 5701 N. 79th Street in unincorporated Boulder County. The 19.73-acre property is located just north of Lookout Road on the west side of 79th Street adjacent to the Church of the Lookout (formerly Vinelife Church). That area is sometimes referred to as "Gunbarrel Hill."

A Planning Application dated Nov. 22, 2023, and filed Dec. 5, 2023, for the proposed "Tennis Center of the Rockies" was submitted to the Boulder County Land Use Department by Moneca Sheldan, the owner of the property, along with Kendall Chitambar of Rocky Mountain Tennis Center and Melissa Harrison of Coburn Partners. It is being reviewed by the Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Department which will make recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Boulder County Commissioners.

The application is for a Special Use Review to permit the establishment of a membership club tennis facility. The property is zoned agricultural land. The proposal details 26 outdoor tennis courts, two structures containing nine of those courts to be "seasonally domed," eight padel courts, twelve pickleball courts, volleyball and beach tennis courts, two outdoor stadium tennis courts with seating, eight clay tennis courts, social and competitive swimming pools and a clubhouse.

The Tennis Center of the Rockies intends to be a membership club with public access for a fee. Proposed operational hours are 5:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Tennis Center of the Rockies is proposed to be built in two phases.

The application so far is deemed "incomplete" by Samuel Walker, the county planner assigned to the application according to a Dec. 7, 2023, email to Sheldan, Chitambar and Harrison.

The property is being developed by Coburn Partners, a Boulder architecture, design and building company, and will be owned by Rocky Mountain Tennis Clubs, LLC, formed in 2007. The applicant's proposal states the applicants "have two-decades experience operating Rocky Mountain Tennis Center" which is located at the Millennium Hotel (formerly known as the Harvest House), 1345 28th Street in central Boulder, which will be closing in 2024, "because the landlords have sold the property," according to the application.

Approximately 50 community members met at the Church to discuss the proposal and its potential impact on the neighboring communities including Gunbarrel and Niwot. The discussion was led by Joyce Frailey, a Gunbarrel Estates resident. Several residents of the area, including Frailey, established a website in opposition to the tennis facility found at https://stop79thsttenniscomplex.org/ and organized the meeting.

Concerns raised included traffic issues, light pollution, noise, drainage, view obstruction for nearby residents, safety issues, and environmental impact. Bill Fox, a resident of 79th Street, stated that the proposal "violates the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use Code." Frailey reminded the attendees that the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan states that "growth should be channeled to municipalities. Agricultural land should be protected. Preservation of our environmental and natural resources should be a high priority in making land use decisions."

Frailey suggested the IBM tennis courts on 63rd Street might be an ideal site for the project since it has parking, is commercially zoned, is flat and has access to solar energy. Mary Eldred, another organizer of the event, said the IBM site would be "perfect" for the tennis club. Another alternative suggested was the land near Celestial Seasonings in Gunbarrel.

Others noted that the 79th Street property is on a two-lane road frequented by bicyclists and residents, has no public transportation access, is currently undeveloped, and would need a septic system. Chris Ennis, an organizer of the opposition to a proposed housing development at 63rd Street and Niwot Road earlier this year, said the tennis facility would be "a septic hellscape" given the leach fields, retaining ponds contributing to the West Nile virus, and drainage issues.

A trip generation analysis prepared by Fox Tuttle Transportation Group, LLC, submitted by the applicant, estimated that average daily trips for the proposed center would increase by 651 per day, with 90 trips during the peak hour. Traffic on 79th Street would reportedly increase from approximately 1,700 cars a day to 2,300 a day should the facility be built at that location. Light and noise issues were also discussed at length.

Currently the parcel is served by one residential water tap from Left Hand Water District. The application states that a larger tap would be sought. According to a title report submitted by the applicant, Rocky Mountain Tennis Clubs, LLC, would purchase the property from Sheldan for $1,950,000. According to Boulder County records, Sheldan purchased the property in 2017 for $650,000.

The application has been described as incomplete by Boulder County staff, citing a lack of scaled elevation drawings for all structures, earthwork calculations and lighting details, so a hearing date has not yet been set before the Boulder County Planning Commission. Additional community meetings will be held in January, said Frailey. In the interim, a petition has been circulating for signature by those affected by the proposal.

Frailey said she is sympathetic to the desire of Boulder area residents to replace the tennis courts after the Rocky Mountain Tennis Center closes but Gunbarrel Hill "is just not the right place for that project."