Wednesday, June 1, 2016
It pays to go to court, apparently
Posted By Pam Zubeck on Wed, Jun 1, 2016 at 7:50 PM
Colorado Springs Utilities ratepayers will pick up the tab of a court award handed down recently that ordered the city-owned utility to pay the biggest developer in the region nearly $2 million for land used for its Southern Delivery System pipeline.
The project was largely conceived for the purpose of delivering water to the 18,500-acre Banning Lewis Ranch.
Utilities had maintained the 121 acres needed for SDS on the city's eastern flank were worth $117,500.
But Banning Lewis Holdings LLC, an entity controlled by David Jenkins, chair of Nor'wood Development Group, claimed the land was worth up to $6.4 million.
The matter went to court on May 23.
Three commissioners appointed to hear the case have ruled the land is worth $1.95 million. In addition, the city, i.e., Utilities ratepayers, will pay for Jenkins' attorney fees and court expenses, as required by law. That amount isn't yet available.
The $825 million SDS project went online in late April after more than a decade of planning.
The Banning Lewis Ranch was annexed in 1988 and passed through several ownerships before Jenkins bought it in November 2014.
The project was largely conceived for the purpose of delivering water to the 18,500-acre Banning Lewis Ranch.
Utilities had maintained the 121 acres needed for SDS on the city's eastern flank were worth $117,500.
But Banning Lewis Holdings LLC, an entity controlled by David Jenkins, chair of Nor'wood Development Group, claimed the land was worth up to $6.4 million.
The matter went to court on May 23.
Three commissioners appointed to hear the case have ruled the land is worth $1.95 million. In addition, the city, i.e., Utilities ratepayers, will pay for Jenkins' attorney fees and court expenses, as required by law. That amount isn't yet available.
The $825 million SDS project went online in late April after more than a decade of planning.
The Banning Lewis Ranch was annexed in 1988 and passed through several ownerships before Jenkins bought it in November 2014.
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