SW Larkspur/woodmoor mountain questions (Denver, Palmer Lake: sale, foreclosure, house)

[chriscill]

Hello,

My husband and I are considering purchasing a home in Woodmoor Mountain, SW of Larkspur. I am wondering if anyone has insider info on this community. I have heard good and BAD things about this area and would like to know what it is really like to live there. My main concerns are:

--Commute time to the DTC
--Winter snow removal and road maintenance
--What the other residents of Woodmoor Mountain are really like
--Any other info or pictures anyone would be kind enough to provide

I have received mixed messages on this community. I have heard that it is kinda "compund like" and that residents take the law into their own hands.

On the other hand, I have heard that it is simply a community of folk who appreciate their privacy and are friendly and helpful to all of their neighbors.

I guess becase of the mixed messages I have received, I am trying to do my homework and avoid getting into a situation that we will regret.

About us: we're young professionals, not interested in partying or "going out", more interested in living a quiet, peaceful life without too many people stopping by to "just say hi!" We have a second home in the mountains right now (too far to commute FT), which we are under contract to close on in about 2 weeks. If this sale closes, we would like to sell our denver home and consolidate into one home, but in the mountains. However, we dont want to be miserable with the commute. I am not saying we could not handle a longer commute, but if it is going to turn into an hour and a half each way, we're not interested. Mapquest says 45 minutes, but I cannot tell if that is realistic.

Does anyone have an insider info on this area? Anything you can offer would be very much appreciated!!

Thanks in advance,
Christine

[pdth]

chriscill, we lived in a subdivision a bit north of woodmoor for several years. It's nice, a beautiful spot, but there are some important issues to be aware of. The biggest is water. woodmoor is right on the edge of the Denver basin aquifer, which is rapidly depleting. I believe Woodmoor's water comes from private wells, so if your well runs out of water, you're on your own. I would not buy there for that reason. If you do buy there, you need to have thoroughly planned how you will obtain water in the event of well failure (e.g., having it trucked in).

When we moved, it wasn't because of water, but because of the drive. We have two kids with active schedules. My wife was spending 4 hours every day just driving the kids to and from school and their activities.

The drive time from Woodmoor to DTC is approximately 1 hour, half on country roads and half on I-25. The final 5 miles of the trip on I-25 can get congested and add 15-30 minutes to your trip, but that's the case anywhere in Douglas County. The drive time to the nearest supermarket, in Monument, is approximately 20 minutes.

Woodmoor is a place for people who really don't want to deal with other people. They are very nice to their neighbors and not nice at all to strangers. You would have to feel comfortable in that environment. I think adults could adapt but kids, no.

[Charles]

We are all differentiating between Woodmoor and Woodmoor Mountain right? I think we are but it is important that everyone understand.

Woodmoor is east of I-25 in the Monument area.

Woodmoor Mountain (subject of the original poster) is south and west of Larkspur.

Two different places.

http://www.woodmoor.org/

http://woodmoormountain.com/

[pdth]

Originally Posted by Charles

We are all differentiating between Woodmoor and Woodmoor Mountain right? I think we are but it is important that everyone understand.

Woodmoor is east of I-25 in the Monument area.

Woodmoor Mountain (subject of the original poster) is south and west of Larkspur.

Two different places.

http://www.woodmoor.org/

http://woodmoormountain.com/

Sorry for the lack of clarity. I meant Woodmoor Mountain.

[chriscill]

Hi and thanks for the replies. We contacted a Realtor to see a foreclosure in woodmoor mountain that was recently listed. The house was amazing, unbelieveable with the views and size, but the roads in that community are pretty tough. They are what made us decide against making an offer. There's just no way in a snow storm that those roads could be safe. We felt nervous driving on them on a sunny day (they were snow packed). Way too steep for us! Might work for a more adventurous personality.

[MikeDianaCO]

We did a 'google search' with the name of the community that we live in and found this posting/blog/thread as the 3rd most popular hit... We just had to sign up so that we could respond, and make sure that others that read it do not get the wrong impression. Woodmoor Mountain is a great community to live and the people are wonderful. Wherever the original poster heard the rumor that we are "compound like" and "take the law into our own hands" is completely absurd. We all get along and have a great community spirit!! We are a gated community, and sometimes if residents do not recognize someone, they may stop them to see who they are, as we try to prevent trespassing. If someone is interested in a property here, to see it they must be accompanied by a property owner or a realtor. As for commute times, of course that would depend on the weather, but on a good day, to the DTC it would be approximately 45 minutes. As for our roads, they are private roads mantained by the Home Owners Association. The winter months can be difficult at times and the roads are plowed by resident volunteers. To learn more you should log on the the website Woodmoor Mountain Home Owners Association . As for the other poster that talked about the wells up here, he is also uninformed. Most wells up here do not even reach the aquafer, but rather are 'fractured wells' in the rock. We also take a bit of offense to his statement that "Woodmoor is a place for people who really don't want to deal with other people" Please do not get the wrong impression, we are a great community and we wouldn't want to live any where else. Thanks for listening.

[larkspurlady01]

Christine.

Woodmoor Mtn does have beautiful views and privacy and great prices, but in the winter it can be a little hard to get around. The roads are not county maintained and so the residents are the ones that take plowing them in their own hands. I would recommend that if your job is not one that requires you being there every day, but you can also telecommute perhaps Woodmoor Mtn would be a place to consider. It is also fairly close to Palmer Lake and Monument as well as Larkspur.

Does that help?

[traceynjenn]

My boyfriend and I have interest in property in Woodmoor Mountain sub. Our concern is the water. If it is private wells, on an average, what are the costs into that? Second, we can see on the satelite map, how crazy the roads are in the sub, some sharper curve than others, but has it been often times, the volunteers DO get out on the roads and snow plow? We were reading the covenants for the subdivision, and I'm not liking the idea of having no fences. Me, being a dog lover, would need to have a portion of the yard fenced for the dogs, and to keep the wildlife from bothering them. Does anyone have dogs out there? Is there any way of getting around that fence restriction?
And can anyone tell us both the positives and negatives of the area?
Thanks so much!
Tracey & Jen