Amid Breckenridge fielding concerns over what some thought to be residential development near the McCain property, the town set record straight at a July 9 meeting.

Council members said they have been hearing from community members worried about the ongoing construction near the McCain parcel, which is a 128-acre parcel of town-owned land north of Coyne Valley Road that runs along Colorado Highway 9. Members said residents were reaching out thinking that the town was building a residential development it hadn’t informed the community about.

Town engineer Shannon Smith cleared the air at the meeting and said the construction was for a new access road connecting Stan Miller Drive and Coyne Valley Road.

Town staffers said the new road will provide access to the relocated public works snow storage areas and the open space adjacent to the recently reconstructed reach of the Blue River. The town anticipates the road project will wrap by October 2024 and will cost the town $9.4 million.

The town engineering staff said the open space will be available for public access once the vegetation from the river project is well established, which is projected to be summer of 2026.

“No additional housing developments are contemplated in this area of the McCain Master Plan,” the town said in a statement sent via email.

While no new housing projects will be added, construction on one in the area is ongoing. Vista Verde II, formerly know as Alta Verde II, located on the northern end of the McCain parcel, is expected to be completed this fall, according to town engineering staff. Additionally, an approximate 18,000-square-foot building is under construction on the parcel and will serve as the new home for the Family & Intercultural Resource Center (in particular its food market) and Building Hope, a mental health nonprofit. The project is expected to wrap early 2025 and is being built adjacent to the Vista Verde, formally Alta Verde, workforce housing neighborhood.