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Miffed land owner may seek RTD post

By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 7, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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One aggrieved property owner facing condemnation for FasTracks is adopting "If you can't beat them, join them" as a political slogan.

Steve Fesch, who owns land near Invesco Field that RTD says it needs for the West Corridor light-rail project, told a FasTracks public meeting Thursday night that he's running for the RTD board of directors in November.

He had been considering it for some time, but made it public while addressing 60 people attending a meeting on the Gold Line FasTracks corridor to Arvada-Wheat Ridge, where RTD is considering some changes to track alignment that would result in more private property being needed for that project.

Using his three minutes to address the people instead of RTD's staff, Fesch said he believes his land is being taken to assemble a large parcel for future development. His is the only private parcel within a large swath of government-owned land.

While his land isn't in the path of the light-rail tracks, RTD says it is needed for drainage work and street relocation. It says it is not acquiring any more land than it needs for the transit project. But it also says it intends to seek private developers to build FasTracks parking while taking advantage of unused zoning rights on the land to build commercial projects.

"If you own a piece of property, I urge you to stay in touch with us," Fesch said on behalf of the Colorado Property Rights Coalition. "Are we going to allow the government to take private land for redevelopment because they messed up their budget?"

Fesch, an Aurora resident, would be running against one of only two board members who recently voted in favor of his position.

Barbara Yamrick, finishing her first term, voted last month to deny RTD staff the authority to proceed with condemnations on the West Corridor, including Fesch's land. The motion won nevertheless.

Yamrick said she is running for re-election.

"The most qualified woman at this time has a very formidable male opponent as well," she said after being told Fesch planned to oppose her. "Democracy can get messy at times."

The Gold Line is a commuter rail project stretching more than 11 miles from Union Station to Ward Road near Interstate 70. The segment from Union Station to Pecos Street had long been planned to use Union Pacific property, but recently talks broke down when RTD couldn't afford the price UP wanted for all of its properties around the metro area.

RTD is still talking with UP about the Gold Line property, but it is examining other routes out of downtown.

It narrowed the alternative to one, about 300 feet east of the UP tracks. It is nearly two-tenths of a mile longer and at $145 million would cost about $10 million more to build than the original pathway. Most of that is tied up in constructing 700 feet more in bridges than the original alignment.

The new alignment would involve buyout of 13 businesses and partial taking of 11 others, while the original alignment affected six businesses.

flynnk@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5247

Comments

  • March 7, 2008

    7:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    margie writes:

    maybe at least steve would talk to the property owners and give us information instead of just leaving us all in the dark. threating eminent domain, but not calling us back t let us know exactly what their plans are. RDT is suposed to be at 95% final and still they don't or won't inform us of anything. It is cruel for them to leave us in limbo. some of us want to get on with our lives and not live in frear every day not knowing which to turn. I really don't believe the public voted to destroy our live or maybe they did.

  • March 7, 2008

    8:44 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    openmind writes:

    I hope Steve can facilitate change within that crooked organization. RTD intends to profit from private property, yet they continue to treat the landowners with disrespect and without regard for the lives they are impacting. RTD is looking out for their own interests at the expense of ruining lives.

    If RTD has nothing to hide, they why are they keeping landowners in the dark? Play fair, RTD. Treat the landowners with dignity and respect and you might get somewhere.

    RTD policies are intended to bully landowners. I hope some new blood will help turn that organization around. Go Steve!

  • March 7, 2008

    1:05 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    bjbaum writes:

    I think it would do RTD (Run Them Down) to have Mr.Fesch on the board. Maybe the landowners might get a fair shake. I hope he get's on the board and help weed out some of the crooks they have on it now.

  • March 8, 2008

    6:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Bob299 writes:

    So, why isn't this guy not getting a fair shake? Has RTD undervalued his land? Or, did he jack up the price to gouge them and is now crying foul?

    I'm surprised that RTD is the only one taking the heat. There are a lot of players involved, especially when talking about redevelopment. Where are the local city governments that created the development plans around these stations? They are the ones that are going to benefit the most.

    If RTD can build a parking structure and include some ground floor retail to provide extra funding, more power to them! It seems like a judicious way of spending their funds.

    DIA was built with public funds. Does that mean they should not have any retailers in the building because it was once private property?

    You have to love the NIMBYs. No solutions, just complaints.

  • March 14, 2008

    10:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    warrengfunk7 writes:

    Are you kidding me? Steve Fesch is the loudmouth who has been posting anti-transit propaganda all over the Rocky Mountain and Denver Post comment boards.

    Key words, Steve Fesch is ANTI-TRNASIT. Why would he make a good RTD board member? RTD's business in mass-transit.

  • March 15, 2008

    12:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    beolly187 writes:

    Mr. Fesch is not ANTI-TRANSIT. Read his comments more carefully before casting your stone. He doesn't argue against the development of a mass-transit system. His arguement with RTD is that they are over-stepping the authority given to them by Colorado law (Regional Transportation District Act; C.R.S., Title 32, Article 9). They are not land-developers. They are supposed to build a mass-transportation system. Therefore, they should not acquire land for private development. More so, RTD is not treating the citizens that are having their land taken through eminent domain fairly. Mr. Fesch is exactly what the Denver Metro area needs. RTD is incompetently over-budget and requires change. You should be thanking him for his role in bringing this virus to the public eye; instead you label him a "loudmouth" and criticize his attempts to protect everyday citizens from having their land taken from them.