LYONS GADDIS PROJECT UPDATE

Barefoot Lakes

Lyons Gaddis represents Brookfield Residential and its affiliates in connection with the 1,300 acre Barefoot Lakes master planned community located adjacent to the St. Vrain River and immediately east of I-25 in Firestone, Colorado. With over 1,000 homes already built or under construction, when completed, Barefoot Lakes will contain a new residential community consisting of over 3,500 single-family homes, 100 acres of lakes, miles of trails, new regional water and wastewater utility systems, new regional roadways, and 350 acres of parks, trails, and open spaces for public use. Lyons Gaddis attorneys Cameron Grant, Suzan Fritchel, Jeff Kahn, and Sean Stewart assisted Brookfield Residential with entitlements on the project, including the annexation of the property to Firestone, preparation and approval of Planned Development zoning, subdivision platting, and third-party negotiations crucial to project success. Several of the unique components of this complex land use and development project are summarized below:

LARGE-SCALE INNOVATIVE WATER ACQUISITION AND SERVICE AGREEMENTS

Lyons Gaddis negotiated a comprehensive Water Service Agreement with the Little Thompson Water District and a first of its kind public private partnership enabling Barefoot Lakes to secure access to water from the Windy Gap Project. This positioned Barefoot Lakes as one of the few master planned communities in northern Colorado with a secure water supply to support its entire development.

COLLABORATIVE ANNEXATION AND VESTED RIGHTS AGREEMENTS

The project was initially approved for development in unincorporated Weld County but prior to construction of Phase I, the Brookfield Residential team began discussions with the Town of Firestone regarding the possible annexation of the project into the community. Through months of collaborative discussions, Brookfield Residential and the Town created the framework that brought the project into the municipal boundaries, addressed Brookfield’s significant investment in public infrastructure and established a collaborative service model involving the Town as well as the St. Vrain Lakes Metropolitan District.

COMPREHENSIVE OIL AND GAS SURFACE USE AGREEMENT

To facilitate the development of the community, Lyons Gaddis negotiated a comprehensive Oil and Gs Surface Use Agreement with Kerr-McGee (now Occidental), addressing the drilling of multiple horizontal well facilities, pipeline construction, and overall surface relinquishments.

ONGOING MATTERS

As the Barefoot Lakes projects evolves, Lyons Gaddis continues to serve as general land use counsel to Brookfield Residential.
Attorneys in the Real Estate Group at Lyons Gaddis are available to advise you in relation to land use and development matters.