EAGLE TOWN MEETING, EAGLE RIVER STATION..

Eagle River Station at a glance;

• Mixed use development proposed on an 88-acre tract at eastern end of Eagle, south of Interstate 70• Development team is Trinity/RED Development, based in Kansas City, Mo.• 552,000 square feet of commercial space• 132,000 square foot anchor store• ‘Lifestyle Center’ shopping area featuring Main Street design• 150-room hotel• 581 residential units• $346 million estimated development cost• $62.4 million estimated public improvements cost• New I-70 interchange and improvements to U.S. Highway 6• Public improvements financed with revenue sharing plan.
Can this work in small town Eagle? My concerns are in this economy, who is going to support 550,000 sqft. of commercial space? What retailers are going to be able to make it if the customer traffic does not show up? How are you going to pay employees of this monsterous retail "mall" enough to live in one of the most expensive counties to live in period. Where are they going to be able to afford to live? It's a nightmare when you try to even come close to trying to figure out these basic questions. Yes, the town needs the tax revenue and the infrastructure improvements that will come with the development, but the rest of the actual implementation of the project does not seem to have a chance to work, even in a healthy economy. Ultimately it will be up to the people of Eagle to make the decision. Let's hope they make a logical decision. Nobody making $10 an hour in any of these retail establishments will be able to afford renting much less buying a place in the Eagle area.