A Letter From The President - January 2019

Once upon a time, all the homes in Black Forest were built by individual land owners, usually on five acres or more in very rural isolated forest settings. Those days are long gone! Beginning with the Cathedral Pines, there have been over ten major housing developments constructed in Black forest over the last 20 years. These developments have subdivided vast swaths of our beloved forest into 1⁄2 to 5 acre housing sites with paved roads and houses in sight of one another becoming the norm. 

​Black Forest Trails Association resists the concept of this style of housing, which is often in violation of the Black Forest Preservation Plan. But since this is indeed a reality, BFTA has chosen to work closely with all developers to insure they include trails as part of the development per the BF Preservation Plan. Some Developers are easier to work with than others. Recently BFTA had the pleasure of working with two proposed developments that have fully embraced the concept of trails and included them into their plan.

Red Tail Ranch is a 67.9 acre tract planned for 12 homes with 5 acre minimum lot sizes. It lies West of Vollmer Road, South of Swan Road and North of Shoup Road. Ward Lane, Linnwood Lane, Forest Heights Circle, and Meadow Glen Lane are all dirt roads which end close to the proximity of Red Tail Ranch. Due to the developments proximity to these roads, the Pineries Open Space and Section 16, it is ideally situated to link all these into a network of trails connected by dirt roads. The developer, along with two supportive longtime residents, has agreed to allow BFTA trails to utilize their easements to create a trail system that will link these dirt roads with Vollmer Road directly across from the Pineries Open Space. This is ideal for neighbors in the area to access miles of hiking and riding opportunities. Just what BFTA champions for us all!

Winsome Ranch is another promising development situated on 800 acres NW of the Hodgen Road/ Meridian Road intersection. The developer approached BFTA directly to propose 150 acres of open space with 2+ miles of trails along Kiowa Creek in the portion of the development that has 5+ acre lots. The developer will develop the trails as both single track along the creek and an 8 foot wide graveled path along the shoulder of the developments loop road. Public access will be allowed with a small parking area set aside for nonresident trail users. BFTA fully endorses the Winsome Ranch trail plan and looks forward to its opening within the next 5 years!

These two forward looking developers understand the importance of providing opportunities for prospective homeowners to enjoy the outdoors. They are also attempting to be good neighbors with those that have made the Black forest their home for decades. BFTA will continue to reach out to developers to insure that this becomes the norm instead of the exception. If we are to have developments they need to embrace the concepts outlined in the Black Forest Preservation Plan. These two do just that!
Sincerely, Larry Fariss President BFTA