Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally is close to finding permanent home

Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally is close to finding permanent home

December 27, 2001

By BOB SCHOBER
and BRIAN NEWSOME
Durango Herald Staff Writers

The Four Corners Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally is a gear shift closer to a permanent home after a decision by the board of directors Friday to sign a contract for sale of property near Ignacio.

The board, facing rapidly rising rental costs for the Sky Ute Events Center, which has held the event since the first rally in 1993, decided buying land made financial and organizational sense, president Warren "Easy" Bernard said Saturday.

"We decided it was better to have the land and have 100 percent control over how we want to lay it out," Bernard said.

The board agreed to pay $775,000 for about a 155-acre parcel located about one mile northwest of Ignacio at the corner of county roads 315 and 316. The land is owned by Robert Candelaria of Ignacio.

The purchase, however, is conditioned on the group receiving applicable county permits, allowing the rally to be held on the land, Bernard said.

The rally brings up to 30,0000 motorcycle enthusiasts to the Four Corners each year over Labor Day weekend. The rally board started talking about buying land three years ago and has been looking for two years. The board decided the large parcel of gently rolling hills and valleys surrounded by mountain views fit the bill, Bernard said.

"The view is breathtaking, and we’re very pleased," he said.

But finding a site is only the first step – getting permission to use it will require a county land-use permit and state approval for highway access.

The group will likely apply for a temporary-use permit for next year’s rally and probably apply for a Class 2 permit for year-round use later, Bernard said.

"We want to get at least one rally there and see how it lays out," he said. "That will give us a little more time to put more thought into it."

The temporary-use permit would probably cap at about $100,000 what the group would have to spend next year to get the property ready to hold the rally. Expenses would include some road improvements and renting a phalanx of portable toilets, a temporary stage and trucking in water for the four-day event, Bernard said. The land would continue to be rented for ranching cattle, raising hay and other agricultural use during the rest of the year, Bernard said.

A Class 2 permit, which would allow year-round use, would require major road, water, sewage and parking improvements to the property, said Joe Crain, county planning director.

There is a water well on the property, which would have to be supplemented by a permanent water source, Crain said.

But regardless of the permit requested, the Colorado Department of Transportation will also have to approve a permit for widening access routes off State Highway 172, he said.

There are sight distance issues at the intersections with county roads leading to the property that will require the group to pay for a traffic study, said Crain, who drove around the parcel on Friday.

Those issues make "a major traffic problem, in my opinion," he said.

A Class 2 permit will require a public hearing and approval by the La Plata County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commission-ers. A temporary-use permit can be granted by the board of commissioners without review by the planning commission.

Bernard said he hopes the rally’s track record of good behavior will smooth the way for a special-use permit.

"I hope the commissioners will give us a chance," he said.

The rally board looked at three other sites in addition to the 155-acre parcel. A second parcel owned by Jake Candelaria, roughly half the size of the first, borders the town limits northwest of downtown. The parcel abuts a residential neighborhood. Balty Quintana, Ignacio town manager, said it was likely those residents would file a petition in the near future opposing the rally. The two other sites are in the Hesperus area, Candelaria told The Durango Herald in November.

The property is bordered by only three other pieces of property, a key consideration for gathering neighbor support, Bernard said.

A small valley running on the east side of the property would be used for camping. The bands and stage would be located about a quarter-mile from the nearest neighbor in a small valley at the rear of the property, Bernard said.

"We tried to find a property that had the least amount of neighbors," he said. "The rally itself only lasts four days, and setting up takes only two weeks. We know we’ll have to do what (the county requires), and get the neighbors’ support. We hope our track record will make that happen."

Last year, the rally drew about 10,000 motorcyclists from within a 100-mile radius of the Four Corners area. The other 20,000 bikers came from as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and Europe, with the majority traveling from California, Texas and the East Coast.