Red outline is the land around the area of the proposed I-70 interchange at 29 Road that is owned by N70 Tech LLC, whose sole registered agent is local oil and gas consultant and land developer Quintin Shear. The City and County are planning a ballot measure to ask area taxpayers to subsidize construction of the interchange. The project is expected to cost $80 million and would be split evenly between the City and County.
Who is Quintin Shear?
Mesa County resident Quint Shear, who stands to benefit from taxpayers funding construction of a 29 Road interchange at I-70
Shear is President of Shear, Inc., an oil and gas consulting company. He sits on the board of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) and is former president and board chair of the fossil fuel lobbying group the Western Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Shear is also a board member of the Colorado Mesa University Foundation, a member of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce’s Energy Committee, past president of Colorado Mesa University’s Alumni Association Board and a past president and current member of the Grand Junction Redlands Rotary Club, according to his biosketch.
The Mesa County Commissioners have also appointed and re-appointed Shear to a seat on the board of the Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District. His current term is up in 2027.
He also was the developer of Granite Falls, a housing development on South Camp Road on the Redlands where homes sell for around $1 million.
Shear is the sole registered agent of a Colorado company called N70 Tech, LLC, which owns about 185 acres of land around the location where the 29 Road interchange on I-70 would be built.
Already the recipient of a sweet deal
N70 Tech LLC has already gotten a generous deal from the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority (GJRAA) in 2022:
GJRAA agreed to lease a 53.13 acre parcel of property to N70Tech LLC for 10 years for just the cost of installing an irrigation pump on the property, an expense of $12,500. GJRAA also agreed to pay for irrigation water and pay the parcel’s property taxes, which are currently $1,133.83/year. (Parcel No. 2705-324-00-036). The property also has a 3 bedroom home on it that N70Tech LLC can, and has rented out. GJRAA and the airport are funded by taxpayer dollars. So N70 Tech, LLC gets use of the land, plus irrigation water, rental income generated by the house, and the value of crops or livestock generated on the land at a cost of only $12,500 over ten years. That comes to just $1,250/year for ten years. Zillow estimates the current value of the house and property at $524,500, and estimates the house would rent for $1,918 per month.
This is an amusing story if not a little odd. I would be happy to discuss the facts pertain to our group. In the meantime there are a couple things that should be addressed right away.
Ownership and registered agent have nothing in common. A registered agent is just the person filing the documents. There is usually only one and they may or may not be an owner.
As to people that benefit, you are really missing the boat. How about all of the working people that travel from the east end of the valley to the west end, parents that are taking there kids to school, pedestrians and bike riders that use 29 Road, people that need a park and ride, people that need better access to Grand Valley Transit, emergency services that have trouble navigating Patterson during rush hour, businesses on Orchard Mesa or the downtown/Las Colonias business park area that need truck deliveries. The list goes on and on. There are many good reasons why we have been working on this arterial road system around the valley for over 40 years. This is the last remaining connection to complete the loop. I really recommend you attend one of the presentations being put on by the city and county.
We do have a lease with the airport for the agricultural piece land that adjoins us. As stated above the airport is in the business of leasing land out to other entities. There are no improvements on that land as implied in this story. We entered into this relationship with the airport so we could help the family that leases our property for farming get access to the airport field that was fallow. It also allowed for a joint cleanup of the trash that has been dumped illegally on our adjoining property. The airport had better things too deal with than irrigation pumps and the farmers could not afford the outlay so we purchased the pump and subleased the property. At the current lease rate it will take several years before we break even but the fields look much better to the people passing on I-70 and we were able to haul off 15 construction dumpsters full of trash.
The city did annex our property several years ago and this does put us in the sewer district but the infrastructure would have to be brought from the other side of the interstate along with a major upgrade in electrical service. Fortunately, Ute waters line is close by. Not only is cost to bring in utilities estimated to be well into 7 figures but we will have to move a lot of dirt and put in streets and sidewalks to make it a marketable property.
The land is zoned commercial. Do to the proximity to the airport there would not be any opportunity for for residential nor would it be a good idea.
N70 Tech is made up of a large group of owners from all walks of life. Some have been involved in parts of this property for over 40 years.
Again if you would like more facts I would be happy to talk but more importantly I would go to one of the presentations and learn what this project does for our community before you vote.
Quint Shear
Partner
N70 Tech, LLC
I’m voting for the 29 Rd Interchange. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grumbled to have to drive to 32 Rd or to Horizon Dr. To access I 70. I think this is called progress and it will make our lives better. No one likes change, but once it comes, we are all suddenly thankful.
Well, I guess all that debt will be worth it to keep you from grumbling.
I would venture to say that you didn’t really think about any of this until the proposal became a possible reality. And it’s not all upside…there will be negative consequences for many…not the least of which will be a strain on county and city budgets.
I guess I’ve seen too many places ruined due to the desire for “progress”. Some people think growth is essential but I’ve been thinking lately that spending resources to maintain what we already have may be the wisest choice.
Like the guy at the workshop said…this is like using your family budget for landscaping instead of fixing the roof.
Since this has been in the works since the 1980s and more seriously in the works since 2020, Mr Shear has had plenty of time to play monopoly with the land north of the proposed interchange.
I am sure that if the interchange is approved the value of the land will skyrocket.
I just don’t see the need to do this. From my perspective, it’s a vanity project by people who want to make Grand Junction better…but will it?
I hope the project gets voted down. The last thing we need is more debt and Mr Shear can figure out something else to do with his land.
I don’t mind my taxes going for education because I want kids to be educated, even though I don’t have kids. What I do mind is being asked to be further taxed for something I will likely never use, for one person’s glorification and financial benefit. If in fact, our taxes will go for this interchange to be built, I will adamantly oppose it.
Check your facts, Anne. The airport operates on user fees, not taxpayer dollars. I know Quint and he is as civic minded as they come. We don’t agree on many oil and gas issues but we are friends. Did you try to reach him for this story?
The GJRA collects user fees, like landing fees, fees from rental car agencies, leasing of hangars, retail shops, etc., but the airport also accepts millions in grants from the state and federal governments, in the form of grants from the FAA, the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act to name a few sources. Moreover, the amount of income the airport receives from user fees pales in comparison to the amount it get in government grants, and money from government sources like the FAA and federal and state governments are of course funded by the U.S. taxpayers. https://gjairport.com/PDF/documents/Grand%20Junction%20Regional%20Airport%20Authority%20%20-%202022%20Audited%20Financial%20Report.pdf
And it’s wonderful that Mr. Shear is civic minded. I never said otherwise, and I included substantial information about his civic participation taken almost verbatim from his own biosketch, but his civic mindedness doesn’t negate the fact that he stands to benefit financially in a very significant way from the 29 Road interchange project.
I gathered information for this piece from publicly available sources, including the Mesa County Assessor’s database, minutes of meetings of the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority (which are public, because the airport is a public entity), the Colorado Secretary of State Business Lookup and other authoritative documents available online.
Great job of proactive digging here. What would be even more interesting is what Mr. Shear’s plans for the property should the interchange go through. Wonder if those parcels are within the Persigo boundary, such that any development would trigger annexation.
Well done. Keep digging.
Anne should ask him about his plans.
No doubt the land will become exponentially more valuable after the interchange is built. Just look at Fruita to see what kind of development occurs at an I-70 interchange after it is built. I remember developers calling Fruita “the last virgin intersection on I-70 in Colorado” before it got all built out the way it is now.
So why don’t you call him and ask what his plans are? Has he been able to acquire an agreement for water taps? Would development be commercial only, or residential, too? It’s the usual practice to talk to people you write about.
Here is a searchable map of the 201 Sewer District. Much of Mr. Shear’s land is inside the sewer district despite being north of I-70. https://external-gis.gjcity.org/Check%20City%20Sewer%20District/