Thursday, January 11, 2007

Smith Reservoir - San Luis Valley Ranches




Imagine owning your own recreation property or residence within a half mile of a beautiful reservoir with a 14,300-foot snow-capped mountain backdrop.

The Smith Reservoir, just south of the Town of Blanca, adjoins a subdevelopment called the San Luis Valley Ranches. It is made up of 5-acre parcels of land zoned for residential use.

The reservoir holds water for use on the local farms. It is also a recreation site used extensively for fishing and camping during the summer months.

To get to San Luis Valley Ranches and the Smith Reservoir from Blanca go 1/2 mile west on Hwy. 160 to Airport Road, then 4 miles south.

HUNTING: Waterfowl
FISHING: Coldwater lake
RECREATION: Wildlife observation
FACILITIES: Trailer dump station, rest room, boat ramp

Mt. Blanca dominates the view to the north of the reservoir. Click for more photos: Blanca
Mt Blanca.

Photos Taken From Units A and J







These photos were taken in November 2006 from along the road Aa8 that runs along the edge of Units A and J.

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Unit A Lot 10 Facing S, NE, E, NW






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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Mt Blanca from Unit A



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Unit A Has a Few Existing Homes




There are a few houses already built in Unit A. Here is an example. Click to enlarge.

Unit J Facing E, W, S, and NW





SALE PENDING

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Duck Pond


This duck pond is one of many recreation areas just to the west of the San Luis Valley Ranches subdevelopment.

San Luis Valley Area & Map

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Majestic mountain views surround the San Luis Valley, located near the New Mexico border. Ski and art enthusiasts can enjoy Taos, New Mexico, an within 1 1/2 hour to the south.


Taos -- popular for both its skiing and for its well- known art colony, attracting literally thousands of tourists each year -- can become your own backyard playground.


Other ski areas within 1 1/2 hour's drive offer beginner, intermediate, and pro slopes with snowboarding areas.


For more family recreation, there are several great options such as the Great San Dunes National Monument with camping, hiking, ATV trails, and majestic views. Zapata Falls, many horse trails, and six fishing and boating lakes stocked with trout, walleye and bass are within a few minutes to an hour away.


The San Luis Valley has a well-deserved reputation as a sportsman's paradise. Herds of elk, deer and wild turkey can be seen throughout the area.


Residents can enjoy the rural serenity of the valley while having easy access to Alamosa, 30 minutes to the west, where all the advantages of a four-year college, airport, and many shops and restaurants, including a new Wal Mart, are available. The town of San Luis, the oldest settlement in Colorado, is approximately 20 miles away.

MapQuest


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Master Plat Map


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There are already a number of families living in San Luis Valley Ranches year round. While most use solar, there is electricity running along the edge of the subdivision. (There are over 300 sunny days per year, so solar with a back-up generator works.) There is telephone cable underground. Co-op Electric has power at the edge of the subdivision. You can call Co-op Electric for more details. You will need your own well to draw clean fresh water from the largest water table on the North American continent.

The subdivision is zoned for three residences per 5-acre parcel. Residents can use tree barriers or fences to separate homes. Renting out homes is permitted, but owners can't sub-divide property.

The San Luis Valley Ranches includes mineral rights as well as water rights. The water pressure is high enough for three homes to run shower at same time from a 75- to 150-foot well.

Property Values



According to this 2005 article in La Sierra, the official news source for Costilla County, real estate prices in the area are being driven higher by strong appreciation in property values from Taos, just to the south of Costilla County. High Taos prices have been pushing growth to the north where even in Costilla County, two-acre lake front lots are being advertised for $85,000 and farmland is selling for $10,000 an acre. Be sure to read the article. (Click to enlarge.)

More Facts About the Area

The San Luis Valley is one of the world's largest and most breathtakingly beautiful mountain valleys. The Sangre De Cristo Mountains to the east, the San Juan Mountains to the west, and the La Garitas Mountains to the north surround the valley.


OUTDOOR RECREATION: Colorado is an outdoor paradise for sportsmen and vacationers, presenting a panorama of recreation opportunities. The five-acre valley ranches and estates are surrounded by some of the best natural recreation available in America. More than one-third of Colorado's land has been reserved for public recreation, with hundreds of thousands of acres operated by the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado State Land Board, and the Colorado Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Some nearby, nationally known parts and forest preserves include the San Isabel National Forest, the Rio Grande National Forest, and the Carson National Forest.


FISHING AREAS INCLUDE: Rio Grande River, Rio Grande Reservoir, Smith's Reservoir, Mountain Home Reservoir, Conejos River, Huerfano River, Continental Reservoir, Lathrop State Park, Platoro Reservoir, Road Canyon Reservoir, and Sanchez Reservoir.


WINTER SPORTS: Colorado has been called the country's winter recreation and ski center. A few of the ski areas most accessible from the five-acre valley ranches and estates are Monarch Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, Cucharas Pass, and Taos, New Mexico. Ice skating, tobogganing, and snowmobiling can also be enjoyed here. The closest ski area is Ski Rio, 30 miles from San Luis.


GOLF: Golf courses are located in Alamosa, Monte Vista, Walsenburg, and Taos.


TOURIST ATTRACTIONS INCLUDE: Creed-Famous Gold-Mining Town; Crestone Needle; Cumbres Pass; Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Rail Road; Fort Garland (Home of Kit Carson); Great San Dunes National Monument; Kit Carson Creek; Kit Carson Trail; Manassa (Birthplace of Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler); Monte Vista the Sky-Hi Stampede and Rodeo; Mount Blanca (14,325 Feet Elevation); Pike's Stockade; Platoro Reservoir; San Luis (Colorado's Oldest Town and first Spanish Mission); South Fork; Wheeler Monument (The Famed Priceless Pinnacles)


CAMPING: Property owners may camp, park a trailer, or bring a camper to their estate site prior to building. A permanent residence building is not, however, a requirement of purchase. No one requires that you build anything at anytime.


TAXES: Taxes and other governmental charges are approximately $62 for five-acre parcels. The payment of taxes is the property owner's responsibility. There are no special assessments or maintenance payments known or planned at this time, but taxes vary from parcel to parcel according to location.


UTILITIES: Propane gas service is available through several companies located in nearby towns and Alamosa. The rural electric association has a San Luis Valley branch provides electrical power to outlying areas. The Valley is perfect for solar power. It is also possible, and may be desirable, to install a privately owned generator. Electricity runs all along County Road 12.


SEWER FACILITIES: There are no public sewer facilities within the five-acre valley ranches or estates and none planned or proposed. Private septic tanks or plants may be installed for individual parcels.


WATER: Individual wells may be drilled and have pumps of up to fifteen gallons per minute capacity, per five acres allowed. Although well depths vary, current water table on this parcel is approximately 175 feet.


TELEPHONE: Cellular phone service is available and phone lines vary in distance from the five-acre valley ranches and estates, according to location.


MEDICAL FACILITIES: Alamosa and Taos have excellent medical and dental facilities, plus a community hospital with complete medical and surgical facilities.


SCHOOLS: Colorado schools maintain a well-deserved national reputation. San Luis recently completed a new high school and also has primary and secondary schools. In addition, the cities of Blanca and Alamosa have primary and secondary schools. Alamosa is the home of Adams State College, a four-year, state-supported college. Colorado has a total of twenty-one universities and colleges offering training in literally every skill sought by business and industry.

ACCESSIBILITY: Your 5-acre parcel is a highly accessible, close to State Hwy160, and within 4 miles of the city of Blanca.


TRANSPORTATION: Numerous highways crisscross the San Luis Valley: U.S. 285 from north to south; U.S. 160 (the famed Navajo trail) from east to west; and Interstate 25 (linking Denver, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque). United Airlines (United Express) provides four scheduled flights per day to Alamosa Municipal Airport. Blanca and San Luis supply private airports. Greyhound Trailways bus lines serves Alamosa, Ft. Garland, Blanca, and Pueblo.


SHOPPING: The city of Alamosa, a 35-minute drive, has numerous stores, super markets, churches, hotels, and motels, movie theaters, bowling alleys, restaurants, and lounges, banks, savings and loans, and camping facilities. The town of Blanca has churches, a general store, a farm implement company, a post office, a cafe, restaurants, a lounge, and a fishing and hunting supply store.


ELEVATION: The elevation is approximately 7,500 feet above sea level. The land lies on the floor of a large mountain valley with most of the land being level or gently sloping.


CLIMATE: The average precipitation is 6 1/2 inches. Winter brings less than 30 inches of snow. The average temperature in San Luis Valley ranges from 82 degrees to a low of 41 degrees during the summer. During the winter, the average temperature ranges from a high of 41 degrees and a low of 1 degree, with a mean temperature of 20 degrees.