On November 19, 2008, our Eagle County Commissioners approved funds to help facilitate a 2,100 land swap in the Vail Valley.  The Commissioners, lead by Peter Runyon, are taking the lead on this swap with Avon Town Mayor, Ron Rolfe prompting from the shadows.  The players in this land swap will include the County, the Town of Avon, the State Land Board, and the US Forest Service.  The swap will include 8 parcels of land from Lake Creek to Eagle-Vail.

On the surface this swap sounds like a wonderful thing. It’s warm and fuzzy and would make sure that no development occurs on the parcels involved pleasing, the “lets close the gaters”.  Problem:  the Commissioner leading the charge to make sure no development occurs on the parcels is also the Commission championing the ”we need work force housing [mandate].    So, instead of creating opportunities for work force housing in areas where it would do the most good, he, being the astute politician he is, is leading the charge to take those opportunities off the table. 

The parcels involved are public lands and are not inside any town boundaries.  Therefore any development of the parcels (assuming they were ever sold to the private sector) would have to be approved by the County.  All the County would need to do if a developer ever came along is deny any density requests; end of conversation, thereby greatly diminishing the value of the land. 

Commissioner Runyon says the land involved is worth an estimated $100,000/acre.  He is quoted in the paper stating:  “The investment of half a million to get $200 million seems pretty clear–it’s an unprecedented bang for the buck for the citizens.    Message to Peter, raw unentitled land  may, and I stress may, have a value of $2,500/acre.  So, once again you are single handedly bidding up the value of the land by placing an entitled value on the land.  Message continued:  As a County Commissioner you have the power to decide what the density, if any, would be for the parcels.  Thus, no density allowed by you/the County equals no increased value of the land.  

One would hope the Commissioners learned from the “gravel pit” boondoggle where by the Commissioners bid against themselves and ran the value of the land up based on an entitled raw land value.  All the Commissioners needed to do in the “gravel pit” fiasco was not allow any density on the land rendering it virtually worthless saving the taxpayers of Eagle County some $13million.   

In short Runyon is misleading his constituents on the value of the land.  It’s not $200 million, its maybe $5 million.

Commissioner Runyon needs to check his ego, listen and learn from staff, (they are the ones with the knowledge and background) and think about what is best for his constituents, not what’s best for his legacy and his elitist out of touch friends.

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