SE
The Pinery Subdivision
By RealEstateColorado.net
Jan 15, 2008, 18:57

Homes for sale in the Pinery Subdivision can be viewed on this website.

Search for Homes in The Pinery subdivision in the MLS

HISTORY OF THE PINERY

Pine Lake

The lure of gold brought the first settlers to our immediate area. In fact, gold was first discovered in Colorado just down the road by Levi, Oliver and William Russell, for whom Russellville is named. Their discovery was heralded in the Kansas City Journal of Commerce in 1858 and sparked the stampede of one hundred fifty thousand 59'ers along the Smoky Hill Trail (Hilltop Road), the Overland Trail, and the Cherokee Trail (Parker Road) to the Pikes Peak Gold Region. Russellville has often been called the "Birthplace of Colorado". Lack of water caused the miners to quickly vacate the Russellville site and move on to more promising finds along Little Dry Creek, Cherry Creek and the South Platte Rivers, from whence Auraria and Denver were born, and to the Pikes Peak Region.

Pinery Golf Course

As the miners moved on to the gold-rich mountains to the west, farming, ranching, cattle, and timber industries sprang up in their wake. It was from the vast "pineries" of the Cherry Creek and Plum Creek Valleys that the first homes in Denver were built. Some of the lumber came from our "Pinery" and the Black Forest pinery immediately to the south. If one looks closely at our surrounding land, it appears that only the largest ponderosas were harvested back in the 1860's and 70's. Most of our largest trees in The Pinery today are about 170 to 180 years old. These trees were only about 60 years old back in the 1860's and apparently were not considered worthy of harvesting. The majestic ponderosas within our "Pinery" today were spared the ax of the settlers and stand in tribute to our neighborhood's name.

THE DEVELOPMENT

Pinery Golf Course

The first developer of the Pinery was Terracor, a Utah-based company. They planned on building a premier development in the area. The originalvision of Terracor was to plat sites for small vacation cabins for people living in Denver. The plan called for open space, green belts, and excellent views of the mountains. This plan never came to fruition: the developer decided the 'homes should be permanent rather than summer "getaways.” The open areas were replotted for 5 - 10 acre sites and estate-sized homes. Included in the new plan were a park and a bird sanctuary. The development was begun in 1971, when the real estate market was poor. Some lots were sold and built on by independent builders, but the selling lagged. Terracor advertised their enterprise heavily to attract more buyers. In 1976-1977, hot air balloon races were held: take-off for the balloons was the elevated site where Mountain View Elementary School now stands. They also conceived of holding bicycle races throughout the Pinery. None of their advertising schemes worked well; in 1982, Terracor was forced to declare bankruptcy. At that time, Pinery I was separated from the undeveloped remainder of the property.

Pine Park

Senior Corp. took title to the undeveloped land, becoming the Master Developer. Its president, Jim Harper, joined William Lyons in the enterprise, paying $141 million to Terracor for the land. Within 18 months, Senior Corp. had recovered the buying price by selling most of the available lots in the Pinery. Property owners had, in the meantime, organized the Pinery Homeowners' Association, which made an agreement with Terracor and Senior Corp.: Senior Corp. was to assume all liabilities of Terracor so homeowners would be protected. The new Master Developer, would then either transfer certain properties to the PHA or form a Pinery Metropolitan District, which would maintain the quality of the development. With Senior Corp. in control, the lot sizes were reduced to 2 1/2 acres. Further reduction took place later, but the developer did make the effort to retain a country atmosphere in the Pinery.
Denver Homes For Rent
Search For Colorado Home Rentals or Browse our Colorado Property Management Directory
Search Free For Colorado Vacation Rentals: Browse Denver Homes For Rent
Search For Denver Real Estate Investment Properties Property Management Directory - Find a Colorado Property Manager - Find More Colorado Home Rentals. Click on an this link to visit our Denver Colorado Community Pages and our Directory to Denver Area Homeowner Associations and their property management companies.


Denver Real Estate Blog Find Denver CO Real Estate News Denver Colorado Homes in our Denver real estate Blog

Breckenridge Real Estate Blog Search Breckenridge Real Estate News on Breckenridge Colorado homes with our Breckenridge Blog Other Areas That May Interest You