Chezhoff

Hi -

There is a developer who wants to build a velodrome in Erie (which is where I live). There is a Board of Trustees (city council) hearing tomorrow to decide if the land he wants to build on should be rezoned. If you are interested in a velodrome coming to Erie (I sure am!) email the trustees. Here's a web site with their email addresses:

https://www.ci.erie.co.us/index.cfm?o...F6F106DA85AB42

Thanks,

Hoff

bvfrompc

Indoor I hope? That would be awesome for those winter months.

runcari

How can we find out the progress of the City Council meeting? I emailed the Trustees but... well, I am anxious to hear something.
Cari

Chezhoff

The zoning change passed so things are moving forward. There was an article in the Erie Review but you can't see it online (that I can find anyway).

I talked to the mayor today and he said that it's still 1 to 3 years out, the next step is approval on a site plan.

My wife, who read the article in the paper, said that there was a quote that they want to move 'quickly'. I don't know how that jives w/ the mayors 1 to 3 year thing though.

I've sent an email to the Erie Review asking for the text of the article. If/when I get it I will post it here.

Thanks,

Hoff

redtires

Wow, I have not heard this conversation in a loooooooooooong time. There have been rumors of a velodrome in Erie for decades. In fact, if my history is correct, I believe that there indeed was a wooden velodrome in that area (Erie, or Louisville, or somewhere around there) in the early part of the 1900's. I have a friend in that area that has even found old track bike parts (like late 1800's, early 1900's old) buried in various local fields. Pretty cool old stuff too. Sounds like there is something that may really happen out of this latest push for a track. Good luck!

Pwnt

What is the status on this....anyone heard anything?

Chezhoff

Here's the article from the Erie Review:

Canyon Creek Filing 6 was rezoned at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to accomodate plans for Erie to become home to only the 24th Velodrome track in the United States.

A Velodrome is a sporting arena for track cycling. The track is oval and features steeply banked curves.

Frank Banta and his business partner Doug Emerson, owner of University Bicycles in Boulder, presented their plan to build a velodrome track on County Line Road at the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 13.

The plan is to build a 250 meter track with fixed seating for 100 to 200 passengers on a 182,000 square-foot site.

“We are really looking at this as a place people can use as a fitness center,” Banta said. “The typical traffic impact should be very minor.

In order to use a Velodrome track a track bike is required.

“We’ll have a fleet of specific bikes that people can rent,” Emerson said. “Like bowling you have to put on the shoes. It might seem counter-intuitive, but track bikes don’t have brakes, if nobody has brakes, then nobody can hit their brakes and cause a pile-up.”

Emerson said that the plan is to form Velodrome clubs rather than hosting major events.

“Took about an hour to get one together at my shop,” Emerson said. “We’re turning people away it’s so popular.”

Like many, Trustee Tina Harris was unfamiliar with what a Velodrome is.

“I did a little Internet research and what I found was that there are only 23 Velodromes in the U.S.,” Harris said. “The only other is at the Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs. I think it’s exciting to bring something innovative to Erie”

Trustee Tom Van Lone voiced concern about the location of the Velodrome at the meeting on Nov. 13.

“I think it ought to be out in a field somewhere,” he said at the time. “It just doesn’t fit on County Line Road.”

However, he did end up voting in favor of the rezoning.

When asked by Mayor Andrew Moore about the timeline of the project, Emerson said that they were “moving forward fairly quickly” and that they did have funding in place.

I also talked to JD Whitney, the owner of Echelon Spokes and Slopes (and the team I race for), and he said that the plan is for the velodrome to be indoors under one of those inflatable bubbles. The developers were just down in Atlanta looking at buying the bubble used for the 1996 Olympics velodrome. JD thinks this will happen pretty quickly.

Pwnt

Very cool. I am interested in getting my daughter going in track cycling but I am NOT interested in driving to Colorado Springs to do it. Erie is much more accessable. I'm excited to see how this pans out.

Pwnt

Bump.

Trying to find out a status on this. Did a Google search and only came up with Board Meeting minutes. Anyone heard anymore on it?

Chezhoff

I haven't heard anything more...probably the best thing to do would be to try and contact (from the article I posted above) "Frank Banta and his business partner Doug Emerson, owner of University Bicycles in Boulder".

RobertHurst

That's one way of looking at it.

Pwnt

Straight from the horses mouth! Here is an email I recieved from Mr.Emerson.



Hello Kevin (Pwnt)-
I will keep your email in order to send you any future
information I have about a velodrome in Erie. As it stands now, I am
petrified of jinxing the deal by calling it "done". Until I have a
building permit in hand, I'm keeping pretty mum about it. That said,
my partner and I are under contract on a parcel of land on County Line
Rd. in Erie. It has been zoned to allow the development of a
velodrome. We are supposed to close in March, and we hope to be
pushing dirt around by May. That's currently all the info I can
offer. Thanks for your interest.


Doug Emerson

*Fingers are crossed

Chezhoff

Check it out, we're going to be surrounded by velodromes...that is if any of this comes to fruition.

https://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/...ble-velodrome/

bvfrompc

Is this the same one as the they were talking about for Broomfield?

https://www.boulderindoorcycling.com/home.aspx