Orchard Mesa
School District #51 has purchased 34 acres as a possible high school site at B Road and 30½ Road. (Photos by Penny Stine/Real Estate Weekly) |
Orchard Mesa: Growth expected to continue
Orchard Mesa is a community that doesn't fit into anyone's preconceived stereotypes. It's across the river and seems isolated from the rest of the valley, but some areas are just minutes away. You can easily find homes that are more than $500,000, and you can just as easily find them for under $250,000. It's harder to find an expensive restaurant for dinner, however, or a health club. |
Orchard Mesa: New construction housing prices vary
By PENNY STINE
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
That could be changing as more commercial developments move into Orchard Mesa. It could also matter less to homeowners who choose to buy on Orchard Mesa due to improved access to the rest of the Grand Valley. The 29 Road Bridge, which opened about a year ago, sees more than 6,500 cars pass over it daily. City traffic engineers expect to see higher traffic volumes over the bridge once the Riverside Parkway is complete in 2008, and once 29 Road extends over the railroad tracks and connects to the I-70 Business Loop. |
[ENLARGE & EXPAND MAP] |
NEW HOMES ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION all across Orchard Mesa. The one above is in River View, a convenient neighborhood just across the 29 Road bridge. Prices start at $289,000 and go up into the $400s at River View. |
New housing developments are springing up in all areas of Orchard Mesa, as there are relatively large chunks of land still available for development within the recommended growth area, which extends to 30 Road on the eastern boundary. Spyglass Ridge sits at the southwest edge of Orchard Mesa off 27 Road, overlooking the Gunnison River. River View, with great access to the 29 Road bridge, sits above the Colorado River right at 29 Road, and Hawk's Nest, near B and 30 roads, has recently gained approval from the city for 65 lots. |
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The population of Orchard Mesa from 30 Road west grew about 15 percent between 2000 and 2005, and city planners anticipate that it will continue to grow at about the same rate for the next five years.
"It is one of our hot areas of growth," says Dave Thornton, senior planner with the city of Grand Junction.
Others have recognized the potential in Orchard Mesa. First National Bank of the Rockies, which opened up at full-service bank at Meridian Park on Highway 50 in late 2006, had been eyeing Orchard Mesa for three years.
"We felt like it was one area that was dramatically underserved," says Ron Sawyer, the regional president for the bank. The bank has seen a terrific response from both homeowners and business owners in the last six months. |
THE DISTRICT HAS PARTNERED with the city and county to biuld and maintain Eagle Rim Park, where Anthony Delgado practices his moves. |
THE ORCHARD MESA SWIMMING POOL is where kids stay fit in the summer. |
First National Bank of the Rockies is the first tenant in Meridian Park, but Domino's Pizza will be the next one moving into the commercial area.
"Orchard Mesa is finally starting to come into its own, so we're real positive that we'll get services into the area," says Bailey Dotson, one of the partners of the development.
"We'd like to see restaurants, cleaners, all the normal human service type of providers." |
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The school district has also been anticipating the growth in Orchard Mesa, and purchased 34 acres in March 2007 as a possible high school site near 30½ Road and B Road. The long-range planning committee will recommend where the next high school should be built, but the district already owns possible high school sites not only in Orchard Mesa, but on the Redlands and in the north area, as well. |
THE COMMUNITY CENTER AT SPYGLASS RIDGE, a new home development on the bluffs above the Gunnison River, will be complete by the end of the summer. |
THIS SPYGLASS RIDGE HOME will be one of the homes featured in the 2007 Parade of Homes. |
The long-range planning committee will also decide what to do about Orchard Mesa Middle School, which was built in 1960, using the same plan as the old Bookcliff Middle School. Although OMMS received money from the last bond levy to address the most immediate needs, it's not enough to keep the school functioning effectively for the next 10 years.
"There exists about 8 million dollars in long-term needs," says Jeff Kirtland, spokesperson for the district. |
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One of the unique features of the middle school in Orchard Mesa is the partnership that was formed to build and operate the swimming pool. Although such partnerships are common today, with city and county programs sharing space with the district at many district locations, the partnership in 1983 between the city, the county and the school district was a landmark that has continued to be the model for such partnerships. Regardless of what the planning committee decides to recommend for the school building, the pool's future is safe. |
MERIDIAN PARK, a new commercial development, is almost complete. Although there has been interest, the only business that has signed a contract at this point is Domino's Pizza. |
INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY AT HAWK'S NEST, a new development of 65 lots off 30 Road. |
"For a 25 year old facility, it's in great shape," says Larry Manchester, the recreation supervisor for the city of Grand Junction. The pool has open swim sessions daily, and is utilized by many Orchard Mesa kids who can walk to the pool on those long, hot summer days when they've got nothing to do. The average attendance at the pool on summer afternoons is around 150. |
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There are a wide variety of housing options to choose from on Orchard Mesa. There's also convenient access to Highway 50 for those who travel frequently to Delta or Montrose and more convenient access to the rest of the Grand Valley. With more services coming, and plenty of recreational activities available, it's no wonder that the population continues to grow at a rapid pace. |
OKAGAWA FARMS has been a landmark on Orchard Mesa for decades, and they are open for the season, offering local produce and a wide assortment of bedding plants. |
Copyright 2007 Grand Junction Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved
Re-published with permission from GJ Sentinel
Access to nearby open spaces of the Grand Mesa slopes, the magnificent views, agricultural uses and low density development; define the rural atmosphere on the majority of Orchard Mesa. This rural atmosphere and the proximity to downtown Grand Junction combine to make attractive drawing cards for new development. A strong community interest in cleaning up the area provides an opportunity to develop a more positive image of Orchard Mesa and the community as a whole.
Due to the relatively low rate of residential development in the area, opportunity exists to maintain the existing rural atmosphere and open spaces outside of the urbanizing areas of Orchard Mesa, a major reason people choose to live on Orchard Mesa.
The highway 50 corridor is a major entryway to the Grand Junction area and offers visitors and residents their first view of the urban area. The Orchard Mesa beautification program includes landscaping the highway right of way from the Colorado River to 29 Road.
Orchard Mesa has six land use categories and are identified as: agriculture, residential, business, commercial, industrial and public/quasi-public. Agriculture makes up 60% of all land use on Orchard Mesa followed by residential at 20%.
Residential uses include single family, two family, multiple family and mobile homes. Upscale growth has begun to move in that direction with the approval of the Chipeta Golf Course and planned unit development of 40 lots.
Public and quasi public uses consisting of schools, parks, open spaces and churches, make up approximately 15% of the total land use. Public facilities on Orchard Mesa include: Intermountain Veteran’s Memorial Park, ColumbusElementary School, LincolnElementary School, Mesa View elementary, OrchardMesaMiddle School, Grand Junction fire Station #4 and the Central Orchard Mesa Volunteer Fire Station. OrchardMesaMiddle School also serves as a recreational resource providing an indoor swimming pool and other outdoor recreational activities such as outdoor lighted basketball courts, sand volleyball courts and lighted tennis courts.
Business Commercial and Industrial uses make up the remaining approximately 5% of the land use on Orchard Mesa. Major employers within the community include the Department of Energy, City Market, Dixson Electronics and BFI. Commercial uses generally occur along US Highway 50. Most of these are neighborhood retail businesses. OrchardMesaPlaza between Linden and 27 Road north of US Highway 50 is a neighborhood shopping center with a large discount store, a hardware store, a mini-bank and numerous small retail and service businesses. A supermarket, City Market, is located on B1/2 Road just north of Highway 50 at 27 ¾ Road. A smaller grocery store, Orchard Mesa Market, is at 29 Road and Highway 50.
Agricultural uses include on-farm residences, orchards, row crops, pasture and a dairy. The topography and soils of this area lend themselves well to irrigation and are considered among the best soils in the GrandValley for crop production. The crops are of a variety but most notably are: peaches, apples, cherries, grapes and other fruits and vegetables.
re-published with permission of The City of Grand Junction Planning Commission
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