Forbes Park

Forbes Park is an upscale residential subdivision situated just south of Highway 160 and west of the La Veta pass.

Set amongst the high alpine valley, fir forests and snowcapped mountains of the surrounding Sangre De Cristo range, this gated community is the perfect home for those looking for an exclusive setting with rustic mountain charm.

When we speak of property we typically use an address -- 123 Main Street for instance. 

As most vacant land does not have a physical address, however, county governments will identify it in other ways, such as a "legal description", a parcel number or a tax code. The information provided in the table to the right are the ways in which the various state and county agencies will identify this specific parcel of land. These signifiers are important to have when speaking with these agencies - whether they be the assessor, the zoning office, or even the local utilities - and may prove invaluable when initiating conversations about whatever research a buyer intends to do.

Whenever one exists or has been assigned to the land, the physical address will be included in this table.

Roads & Access: All roads in Forbes Park consist of graded dirt and gravel and are maintained year 'round by the Forbes Park Owner's Association. Because of this, all roads throughout the community should be easy to navigate in any vehicle type during good weather. As this region sees a fair amount of annual snowfall, however, a larger truck or off-road capable would be a necessity for anyone choosing to live here or visit during winter months.

Power & Utilities: In an effort to maintain the scenic beauty of this region, the Forbes Park community has no above-ground power lines. That said, most parts of the subdivision are outfitted with underground utilities including power, phone, cable and high-speed internet. Anyone looking to investigate the costs associated with connecting power here is encouraged to contact the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, the local utility servicing this region.

Zoning: Properties in Forbes Park are zoned E-R or Estate Residential, a designation which allows for residential areas developed at a higher density and where agricultural use is of incidental value. To learn more about the ER Zoning Designation, please see the attached PDF.

POA: Forbes Park is governed by the Forbes Park Land Owner's Association. This organization is responsible for maintaining the over 13,000 acres that make up the community, including 6,000 acres of common land, a lake, two manmade ponds, hundreds of miles of roads and a community center. In addition, they also sponsor community events including ones organized to safeguard this forested region from fires.

While many buyers may recoil at the suggestion of rules or governing organizations, good POAs can be a benefit to the land and homeowners in their communities as they help to beautify the region and ensure that property values increase over time. For anyone who would like to learn more about the Forbes Park Land Owner's Association you can visit their website here or their Facebook page here.

Environmental Control Committee: Forbes Park is defined as a "covenant and architecturally controlled community." This means that rules exist for land use and development and those rules are enforced, most notably by a three-person owner-member Environmental Control Committee which oversees approval and permitting for all homes built within the subdivision. To learn more about how this Committee works with landowners developing property, you can read this excerpt from the original bylaws.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions: When the Forbes Park subdivision was first created, the developer drew up a set of covenants and restrictions to run with the land. While most of these are what we like to refer to as "reasonable, good neighbor restrictions" dealing primarily with the disposal of trash and prohibitions on excess noise, there are a few covenants that deal with acceptable structures for the region as well as minimum square footage requirements of those structures. Because of this, anyone considering purchasing land here is encouraged to review the Forbes Park Covenants and Restrictions document linked here.

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions, Cont'd: Notable restrictions enumerated in the above linked document include: No structure of a temporary or mobile nature (camping) may be placed on a lot for longer than three days and nights without either a building permit or approval from the E.C.C.; All construction must be completed within 12 months from ground-breaking; No hunting is allowed within the community.

Annual Dues: Property owners in Forbes Park are required to pay $290.00 in annual dues. This fee covers road maintenance, office staff salaries, trash removal and use of the Community Center. 

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The Hemingway Land Company does our best to represent the properties we list as accurately as possible. Our research, however, will always be limited. 

Because of this, included in the table to the right is a list of the relevant state and county governments, agencies and authorities as well as local utilities (and all their respective websites and contact information) which should help to answer any questions a buyer may have about developing this specific property.

Whenever possible it is best to speak with these agencies first as they will always be a far greater source of information about the local region and the regulations which govern it. 

Forbes Park Overview: Forbes Park encompasses roughly 20 square miles of land or 13,046 acres. Approximately 8,000 of those acres are comprised of privately owned lots while the remaining 5,000 plus acres consist of common land shared by everyone in the community. The privately owned 8,000 acres breaks down into 3,346 individual parcels. Of the 3,346 privately owned lots in Forbes Park, there are only a little more than 200 home sites, most of which have been developed with log cabin style homes.

Unit Map: Forbes Park consists of 15 Units of land organized from north to south and alphabetized from A to P. This means that properties in Unit A are located in the north end of the subdivision closest to the entrance by Highway 160, then as you move south, you'll encounter the properties in Unit B, Unit C, etc. The properties in Units N and P are on the southernmost end of the subdivision. There is no Unit O.

Parcel Sizes: While the average parcel size in this region is between 1 and 3 acres there are lots in this community which can be as large as 14 acres. It should be noted that these various lot sizes can be found all throughout Forbes Park and there is not one region where smaller or larger lots are concentrated.

Annual Snowfall: Forbes Park averages around 200 inches of snowfall each year.