The owners of a vacant parcel of land south of the Sugar Mill site are facing a lawsuit from Boulder County. The suit claims the owners, Clean Energy LLC, failed to clean up the property and dismantle the homeless encampment that has taken root there for years.
The parcel of land is zoned only for agricultural and industrial uses. The county claims that Clean Energy violates land-use and zoning codes.
The complaint cites an incident in 2022 in which the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office responded to complaints of illegal camping on the site. The Sheriff’s Office issued warnings to those on the property and followed up a week later to help remove others still camping on the property.
As a result of this incident, the owners agreed to fence off the property and post no-trespassing signs, however, following a 2023 incident the registered party on the property, Stephen Thomas, stated he did not complete the action, according to the lawsuit.
On Aug 9, 2023, an explosion and fire occurred on the property. The Longmont Police Department responded to the incident and discovered 15-20 people camping on the property.
The complaint states that Boulder County may issue a $1,000 fine and an additional $100 daily fine for “each day the continuing violations remain uncorrected on the property.”
