CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — The private developer who proposed to build a gas station and convenience store at the Interstate 70 exit for two popular 14,000-foot peaks has withdrawn the application.
The Clear Creek County Planning Commission met on Wednesday night and as of last month, had this application on their agenda for their January meeting. Ahead of the meeting, their agenda read that the application to rezone the land off the Bakerville exit from mountain residential to commercial - tourism/recreation was withdrawn, though it's not clear when.
At the start of the meeting, Clear Creek County Planning Manager Garrett McAllister announced the withdrawal, saying that the project is not moving forward and they would not discuss it during Wednesday evening's meeting.
The application proposed 16 regular vehicle fuel stations and eight large truck fuel stations, dozens of public parking spaces, and a single-story convenience store.
The document was submitted by Mandy Madrid and Nate Reeves of Reeve & Associates Inc. on behalf of Bakerville, LLC, on Sept. 22, 2025.
In December, our sister station Denver7 published a deep dive on the proposed project, looking at what exactly it entailed and how it could impact people who live and recreate in that area.
The application focused on a 4.37-acre property at the Bakerville exit, just off Interstate 70 at the start of County Road 321 (Stevens Gulch Road), which leads up to the trailhead for Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. Right now, it's an empty dirt lot with a freestanding chimney in the middle.
Mountains
Proposed gas station near 14ers would 'significantly' impact search and rescue
In our December report, we spoke with the Alpine Rescue Team, a professional mountain rescue group that operates in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Gilpin counties, because they respond to emergencies on Grays and Torreys several times a year and their number of rescues have been increasing.
"So, when we respond up there, we do use that entire parking lot, including all the other emergency agencies that are responding with us," said Dawn Wilson, Alpine Rescue Team's public information officer.
Having a gas station and convenience store at the location would impact their operations "significantly," she added, saying that Flight for Life helicopters, which land on the bridge or exit ramp over I-70 in Bakerville, would create an inconvenience to drivers trying to exit or enter the highway.
"But more importantly, it's going to impact those individuals that have an emergency because it will probably slow down our response to them, unfortunately," she said.
Watch Denver7's report on the submitted application in the video below.
Social media posts and comments about this idea picked up through December, with people split on the issue. Some said there are plenty of gas stations along I-70 and it could ruin the beauty of the area, and others said the county needs the tax revenue and can't keep "making excuses to avoid economic development for the sake of nostalgia."
The Bakerville Neighborhood's website posted in opposition to the proposal and asked its residents to write an objection letter, citing heavy truck use, general traffic volume, damage to trails and the natural environment, increased noise and general negative impacts to quality of life for residents.