Loma Linda subdivision, south of downtown Pagosa Springs.
Welcome to Loma Linda, a beautiful rural-residential community nestled among the forests and rolling hills south of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Spanning nearly 1,000 acres, Loma Linda offers residents the perfect balance of privacy, natural beauty, and mountain living.
Our subdivision consists of approximately 160 homeowners. Most properties are generously sized between 3 and 5 acres, providing plenty of space to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and abundant wildlife. The landscape features a mix of timbered forests, open meadows, and scenic hillsides, creating a unique setting for every home…
— from the Loma Linda subdivision website.
We will discuss Loma Linda in a moment. But first, let’s hear from Brian Wattier, the co-founder of 84 Ranch, a 42-acre “agritourism retreat” and pig farm in the same general area as Loma Linda. Mr. Wattier had obtained a Board Conditional Use Permit in 2025 to start his ranch operation, and had been granted a variance from Archuleta County this past August to waive — at least temporarily — a couple of requirements that normally apply to these types of operations.
His neighbors on the opposite side the the highway, ranchers Dawn and William Vrastil, have accused the County of violating the County Land Use Code (LUR) and of failing to enforce the conditions imposed on Mr. Wattier.
Mr. Wattier stepped up to the microphone to address the Vrastil’s complaints.
“I respect my neighbors and their concerns, and it’s unfortunately got off on the wrong foot. Throughout this process — it’s been two years — I understand their concerns about the new process…
“I have dealt with over six people from the Planning Department in two years… The processes have changed, the information and the guidance from these six individuals I’ve dealt with. That’s understandable. People have filled in, and come and gone… But I have listened and heard to them, and every time I was asked for something, I supplied those documents, and I adhered to what they needed. It’s a challenge that, unfortunately, we’ve had the turnover to new complete staffs since I’ve been working through this process, and it has taken over two years now, for this.
“I have just been beat down in these meetings recently… I’ve been told that I’ve been falsely going through, and not following rules. Breaking rules. With no specific examples yet. My concern is that we’re hearing these Items and accusations with nothing behind them…
“If we have concerns here, I would please ask that we do go through due process.
“I find it odd that someone inspected my land and said I was breaking all those rules and I was never informed of this…
“I think you know who I am. I’m not a big developer. I didn’t get into farming and ranching to get rich. I came here to grow natural organic foods, to teach the youth, to teach my kids. And to do that, having this agritourism brings people to the land. It brings tourism to the land. I’ve been in Conde Nast Traveler. I’ve been in Forbes Magazine already. People are excited for what I’m trying to do here. What I have failed at, is not bringing support to these meetings.
“I understand their concerns, and everything they have looked into, whether it’s the County Attorney, the County Manager, whatever these accusations are, I’m not saying they’re false. I don’t know, okay? I was not part of any of that. In regards to the CDOT [requirements]; I’ve been working very closely with Eva, who no longer is with us, and Katie and Valerie. I have everything in emails stating I must complete my CDOT driveway.
“And then I must have one other item, which is the survey… This is all documented from the Planning Department, and I have everything to back all this up…
“There was so much drama going around all this, that continues to break me down and go through, and I don’t understand why. I have followed the processes and have done everything — and what all six of the individuals that report to you have done, and I have a record of all that.
“So I just please ask that we continue to move forward with it. Thank you.”
As an audience member, I did not hear anyone, on October 20, list out the violations or offenses of which that 84 Ranch is supposedly guilty.
I mentioned Loma Linda subdivision at the beginning of this editorial installment. In the map below, the 1,000-acre Loma Linda subdivision is tinted ‘yellow’. The 70-acre Vrastil’s ranch is tinted blue. 84 Ranch is tinted pink; 42 acres.
The larger parcels in this area, 6 miles south of downtown Pagosa Springs, are zoned “Agricultural Ranching”. The tiny lots are zoned either “Agricultural Estate” or “Rural Residential”. All of the lots in Loma Linda are zoned “Rural Residential.”
In 2006, when Archuleta County decided that the unincorporated areas around Pagosa Springs needed to be “zoned”, the process was rather simple. If a parcel appeared to be residential, then it was zoned “Rural Residential”. If a parcel appeared to be mainly a pasture suitable for cows or horses, it was zoned “Agricultural Ranching.”
Zero thought was given to planning how the county could evolve and grow, to best serve existing residents and newcomers.
What Archuleta County did, essentially, was to freeze the community into the land uses that existed in 2006, and made it very difficult for anyone to change the use of their land from one zoning type to another zoning type. The difficulties resided in the County Land Use Code… and in the minds of neighbors who believed that zoning was basically handed down by God and should never be changed.
Should never be changed and must be enforced.
Even if the character of the community and the economy underwent significant changes. Even if thoughtful, enterprising individuals came up with great ideas for how the community could evolve, and benefit from different land uses.
It became the primary function of the County Planning Department to prevent new, innovative land uses.
In the map above, we see that the Vrastil ranch is a stone’s throw away from one of the larger residential neighborhoods in Archuleta County: Loma Linda.
Hundred of vehicles driving in and out daily on gravel roads. Parties on people’s decks. Barking dogs. All the joys and troubles that come from living in — or near — an actual residential neighborhood.
Yet the Vrastils — because of zoning put in place in 2006 — appear to be offended by a relatively low-impact, low-density “agritourism” operation on the opposite side of the highway.
Read Part Five… tomorrow…
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can't seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.