Colorado Mountain Estates

Colorado Mountain Estates is a forested mountain community located off Teller County Road 1 and just south of Florissant. The average parcel in this region is slightly more than a half acre in size with a few exceptional lots being 3/4 of an acre or greater.

This subdivision is an architecturally controlled and covenant protected community which spans over 2,000 acres between the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in the west and the Mueller State Park in the east. It is an upscale mountain community which boasts a serene setting on the outskirts of the Pike San Isabel National Forest.

When we speak of property we typically use an address -- 123 Main Street for instance. 

As most vacant land does not have a physical address, however, county governments will identify it in other ways, such as a "legal description", a parcel number or a tax code. The information provided in the table to the right are the ways in which the various state and county agencies will identify this specific parcel of land. These signifiers are important to have when speaking with these agencies - whether they be the assessor, the zoning office, or even the local utilities - and may prove invaluable when initiating conversations about whatever research a buyer intends to do.

Whenever one exists or has been assigned to the land, the physical address will be included in this table.

Roads & Access: All of the roads in the Colorado Mountain Estates subdivision are regularly maintained, in good condition and can be navigated by any vehicle type. Due to the nature of the forested, mountain setting, however, larger trucks are recommended and are likely to be the most viable during all of the four seasons. 

Power & Utilities: Residential power and underground telecom lines snake throughout most of the roads within this community and are connected to most, if not all of the developed home sites here. While not all properties will have both present "at the lot line", in most circumstances the nearest ones will not be more than one or two lots away. Because of this, getting service extended to or connected on any individual property will likely not be difficult or expensive. Anyone looking to investigate the costs associated with getting service connected on a specific property is encouraged to contact CORE Electric Cooperative, the utility company servicing this region.

POA: Colorado Mountain Estates is governed by a Property Owner's Association (POA). While many subdivisions have POAs which do little more than collect annual dues for non-descript or theoretical improvement projects, the Colorado Mountain Estates POA is actively involved in the community through their work in road maintenance, conservation efforts and fire prevention. In addition, Colorado Mountain Estates defines itself as a "covenant and architecturally controlled community" meaning that rules exist for land use and development and those rules are enforced.

While many buyers may recoil at the suggestion of rules or governing organizations, good POAs can be a benefit to the land and homeowners in their communities as they help to beautify the region and ensure that property values increase over time. For anyone who would like to learn more about the Colorado Mountain Estates POA you can visit their website here or their Facebook page here.

Zoning: This region falls under Teller County's R-1 Residential Zoning designation. Anyone who would like to familiarize themselves with those ordinances may do so by reading this PDF. That said, whatever guidelines the County has for residential development and land use within its borders would come second to the rules and regulations of the Colorado Mountain Estates POA.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions: When the Colorado Mountain Estates subdivision was first created, the developer drew up a set of covenants and restrictions to run with the land. These covenants discuss a range of topics from Property Rights to Membership & Voting Rights to Maintenance Assessments. Anyone who would like to learn more about these can do so by reading the document attached here.

Architectural Control Committee: An Architectural Control Committee (ACC) is an elected group of community members who help to ensure that new structures developed within the subdivision comply both with County regulations as well as the covenants, bylaws, rules and policies of Colorado Mountain Estates. This can range from the types of structures which get approved, to building materials, setback requirements, fence construction and even driveways. In addition, the ACC helps new resident-members with proper permitting as well as compliance with County regulations and can even be of assistance in recommending local vendors best suited for tasks such as tree clearing and general construction. In short, for the property owner who is comfortable with the extra degree of scrutiny, these organizations can be a benefit in that they help to insure an "aesthetic uniformity" to the community and thus, maintain its property values. For anyone who would like to learn more about the Colorado Mountain Estates ACC, you can read the PDF linked here.

Annual Dues: Annual Dues within Colorado Mountain Estates are under $50.00 a year per lot. These annual dues may not increase more than 5% year-over-year unless approved by a vote of the community members. While other fees may exist for construction or fishing permits, these are the only ones which are mandatory.

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The Hemingway Land Company does our best to represent the properties we list as accurately as possible. Our research, however, will always be limited. 

Because of this, included in the table to the right is a list of the relevant state and county governments, agencies and authorities as well as local utilities (and all their respective websites and contact information) which should help to answer any questions a buyer may have about developing this specific property.

Whenever possible it is best to speak with these agencies first as they will always be a far greater source of information about the local region and the regulations which govern it. 

Boundary Markers: When the Colorado Mountain Estates subdivision was first created, the properties were marked with boundary stakes. To this day, many of those stakes can still be found designating the corners of the various lots (see the photo galleries at the bottom of individual listing pages). Due to its forested setting, however, some of these may be difficult to locate. Fortunately, anyone looking to develop the land will likely have help from the ACC in identifying their exact boundaries. Because of this, it's questionable that a new survey would be required.

Lake Magnusson: Colorado Mountain Estates is home to Lake Magnusson which can be used for fishing and general relaxation. It should be noted that the lake exists for the benefit of community members and their guests. While a Colorado State fishing license is not required, an annual CME fishing permit is. The "suggested donation" for such a permit is $10.00. In addition, it's important to know that the lake may only be used for fishing and not boating and that all fishing is conducted under the "catch and release" plan.

Fire Prevention: As with any community in a forested setting, diligent efforts are made by the Colorado Mountain Estates POA to prevent forest fires and preserve the integrity of the residences. This includes the creation of home ignition zones as well as a community Fire Department ready to respond to any threats. In addition, the CME NoFloCo Mitigation Posse (no doubt trademarked) is a volunteer group which helps to educate residents about better ways to fire-proof their land.

Realtor: All of the properties we have for sale in the Colorado Mountain Estates subdivision are also listed with Colorado Realtor, Rob Herrmann of Whitetail Properties. Anyone who would prefer to deal with him directly may contact his office at 607.351.7402 or rob.herrmann@whitetailproperties.com.