Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

Burkey Park, the 18.36-acre property located near 30 Road and Patterson Road, is back on the market after developers decided to refocus on other projects.

The developers also reduced the price and are offering future buyers a chance to continue with the available plans or rethink its development potential.

The property, originally donated to the City of Grand Junction by the Burkey family in 1966, was intended to serve as a park for the community. Louis and Mildred Burkey, who made the donation, envisioned the land as a space for recreation. However, after many years without development, the Burkey family grew concerned about the property’s future.

Prior to the ballot measure approved by voters in 2019 that allowed the city to sell the land, the Burkey family engaged with city officials to explore options for the undeveloped property. Robert Burkey, a member of the family, was involved in the discussions.

“The city had promised to develop the park, but those promises were never fulfilled,” he said. “It was disappointing to see a donation meant for community benefit sit empty for so long.”

The family sought a resolution, hoping to see the land transformed as originally intended.

“We wanted to see something come from this land during our lifetime,” Burkey said. “It was never about our legacy, but about fulfilling the original intent of the donation.”

Burkey said after years of poor communication from the City of Grand Junction, City Council member Rick Taggart told him that if the city were to develop the land, it would be more than 20 years out.

That honesty about the city’s plans played a role in the Burkey family’s decision to support the sale of the park. Faced with the prospect of the land remaining unused for many more years, the Burkey family ultimately supported the city ballot measure in 2019 to sell the property, with the proceeds from the sale being designated for partially funding the nearby Matchett Park. The city has plans to honor the Burkey family’s contribution by naming a pavilion at Matchett Park after them.

“We didn’t want this land to just sit there, so we worked with the city to allow for a sale, ensuring it would benefit the community,” Burkey said. “When the developers came forward, they promised to keep part of the land as a park and even agreed to name it Burkey Park. That was meaningful to us.”

In 2021, Burkey Park LLC purchased the property with the intention of developing 68 single-family homes, commercial frontage, and park space. However, the project faced multiple setbacks and remains undeveloped.

Real estate agent Cindy Ficklin, representing the developers, explained the situation at a Grand Junction City Council meeting about Impact fees in March.

“We had a plan for 68 lots, priced at $80,000 each, with homes ranging from $350,000 to $375,000. This would have provided attainable housing,” Ficklin said. “But after six readings, the city still hadn’t approved the plan.”

Despite the stalled development, Ficklin emphasized the developers had remained committed to honoring the Burkey family’s legacy.

“We worked hard to keep the integrity of the park. The developers were dedicated to preserving green space and including a park with the Burkey name on it,” she said, adding the developers have since decided to focus on other projects and sell the property with its design plans included. 

For his part, Robert Burkey remains hopeful the land will ultimately be developed in a way that benefits the community and reflects his family’s vision.

“We wanted to ensure that our kids and grandkids could see something valuable come from this land,” Burkey said. “The park was always meant to benefit the community, and we’re thankful that the developers recognized that by including a park in their plans. I hope that any future developer continues to honor that.” 

Burkey Park was listed in 2024 for $2.5 million. The listing was removed Sept 30, 2024 and was relisted on March 5 of 2025 at $2.2 million.

Potential buyers will have the opportunity to rethink the development, because the land has been rezoned by the City of Grand Junction to Residential Low-Density (RL-5). The rezoning opens the possibility for attached homes, detached homes and multifamily units, such as duplexes, townhomes and four-unit apartments.

The front portion of the land is also zoned Mixed-Use (MU-1), offering additional flexibility for future developers to add commercial space along Patterson Road.

When speaking to The Business Times on April 9, Ficklin expressed hope that with the election of new City Council members on April 8, developers will have a fresh opportunity to work with the city through the process.

“I got a call about the property this morning,” Ficklin said.