Mike Slattery bought 70 acres in the foothills south of Peregrine in 2002 and thought about building luxury log homes on big lots.

Eventually he abandoned the idea> He sold five acres which are being subdivided into five homesites. But he decided it would be better to preserve the remaining 65 acres as mostly open space with maybe one house, an equestrian center and some trails.

He conceived the Blodgett Ranch Club and is inviting neighbors to let him know if they’d be interested in joining him.

 It would be a private club. He might build a pool. Have horses for club members. A dog park. Mountain biking. Hiking trails.

Or he might have to sell the land and watch it become a private estate. Here’s a look at a map of the area.

 The property is spectacular and abuts Colorado Springs’ 167-acre Blodgett Open Space.

 Here’s a link to the master plan for the Blodgett Open Space.

Here is a map Slattery created of his property.

Below is a photo he took of his land.

To take a pulse of the neighborhood and generate interest, Slattery went old-school. He put up a sign. Here it is.

 Here’s how Slattery explains his idea:

The 65 acre agriculture-zoned Blodgett Ranch property is privately owned, but preserved in a land trust agreement with El Paso County Parks.  They inspect the entire property every year to confirm there has been no development on the property other than what was agreed years ago in the Deeds of Conservation Easement.  

The lower elevation along Centennial Blvd (currently the small horse barn, round pen and flat area immediately above) was stripped of sub-division development rights (would have been 5 luxury homes or 20+ patio homes)  This 11 acre Phase 1 parcel can only now have a commercial Equestrian Center for riding lessons, boarding and trail rides (no residential development), and includes the new City Parks trail easement donated in order to move hikers coming up from the Woodmen Valley/St Francis corridor, up through Blodgett Ranch, and into the south side of the City’s 187-acre Blodgett Peak Open Space.

 The middle Phase 2 parcel is approx 23 acres and is located on the main mesa beyond the current  antenna barn. This is where up to 18 upscale Peregrine style homes was envisioned by City Planning.  These development rights were stripped and now retains a restricted 3-acre building envelope for a future single family residence, meeting facility and pool.  This area is also where I envision a members Dog Park and outdoor concert pavilion to compliment a the social meeting facility and pool.

 The final Phase 3 is a 30 acre parcel on the Pike National Forest with over 2 miles of groomed trails for member hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, tours, etc.  This parcel will also have up to (8) authentic Indian Tipis in small clusters around the 30 acres for club members to use for family and pet overnights.

 The overall concept is for a community Conservation Club, made up of private members who own shares in the entire facility and amenities, like the Foothills swim club.  Therefore it would be good to find out what local neighbors feel is important to see in their outdoor club before decisions are made.  I don’t see building expensive infrastructure that is not needed for our Colorado outdoor lifestyle activities.  The idea is to enjoy limited amenities at a reasonable family membership cost.

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