Two Redlands homes listed at the same price can cost very different amounts to own. In Redlands 360, the development south of Highway 340 that City of Grand Junction officials call one of the largest residential projects in decades, every home is inside a metropolitan district. For 2026, that district's property tax is about 70 mills on top of the regular bill. Most of it repays bonds that won't be fully paid off until 2055. How heavy that bill turns out to be depends partly on homes that haven't been built yet.
You can see that future from Broadway right now. A single-lane roundabout at Highway 340 and 23 Road went under construction June 1, and the city expects it to be finished in December 2026. It will be the main entrance to a development planned for more than 1,300 homes at full buildout. Those future homes matter to anyone buying there today, because the debt is spread across them.
The paperwork shows up before the tax bill
Many buyers first see the metro district in their purchase contract. Colorado law requires residential contracts to include an all-caps warning. It says special taxing districts may carry general obligation debt, and that owners "may be placed at risk for increased mill levies" if a district can't otherwise pay what it owes.
Resales trigger two more requirements. Under C.R.S. 38-35.7-110, a seller in a metropolitan district formed since 2000 has to give the buyer the district's debt and property tax information, including an estimated dollar amount of tax. Under 38-35.7-111, the seller has to provide the district's official website. At closing, the title company adds its own statement that the property may sit in a special taxing district.
Every Redlands 360 metro district was formed in 2020 or 2022, so all of these rules apply. The required estimate is only as useful as your ability to read it. The rest of this post walks through what's behind that number.
What 70 mills looks like on a $500,000 home
Mesa County's formula is property value times assessment rate times mill levy. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. The county assessor lists the 2025 residential rate as 6.25% for local governments and 7.05% for school districts. A metro district counts as a local government, so it uses the 6.25% rate.
For a hypothetical $500,000 home in Redlands 360 Metropolitan District No. 1:
- $500,000 times 6.25% gives an assessed value of $31,250.
- District No. 1's 2026 levy is 15.000 mills for operations plus 55.031 mills for debt service, or 70.031 mills in total.
- $31,250 times 70.031 mills comes to about $2,188 a year.
That $2,188 is just the metro district's line. The county, the city, School District 51 and the other overlapping taxing entities bill on top of it. Compare this with a Redlands resale at the same price that sits in the same overlapping districts but outside any metro district. The difference in annual tax is roughly that metro district line. Over a 30-year mortgage, it adds up to about as much as a modest car payment for a few years.
This example is for illustration only. Your actual bill depends on the parcel, its assessed value and the levy certified each year. The Mesa County Treasurer's records and the seller's -110 disclosure are the place to confirm it.
Why the debt levy is already above 50 mills
The developer's January 2025 metro district flyer described the setup this way. The first neighborhoods, Canyon Rim 360 and Easter Hill, would pay 15 mills for parks, trails and open space, a rate "expected to remain consistent." A separate debt levy of "up to 50 mills" would be added "only when necessary" to finance roads, water lines, storm drainage and other infrastructure. The flyer expected the first debt issuance in 2025 or 2026.
The debt arrived in late 2025. On December 9, 2025, District No. 2 issued $9.575 million of Series 2025A limited tax general obligation bonds at 7.125% and $4.302 million of Series 2025C junior subordinate bonds at 7%. The 2025A bonds mature December 1, 2055. District No. 1 pledged its property tax revenue to help repay those bonds, which pay for public improvements serving both districts and the wider Redlands 360 community.
The 2026 debt levy is 55.031 mills in District No. 1 and 55.068 mills in District No. 2. The district's website explains why that's above 50. It lists the maximum debt service levy as 50.000 mills "subject to adjustment." The district doesn't publish the adjustment formula there, and the service plan is the document that sets the binding terms. A buyer who sees "50 mills" in marketing material should read it as a starting reference, not a ceiling written in stone. The flyer itself says the cap comes from the city agreement and the service plan.
District No. 2 also issued $7.385 million in Special Improvement District No. 1 bonds. These are repaid from special assessments, not from the mill levy, and mature in 2045. The documents we reviewed don't show which lots carry those assessments or how much they are. That makes it one of the first questions to ask about any specific property.
A tax base that hasn't been built yet
For 2025, the County Assessor certified District No. 1's assessed value at $526,840. At 55 debt mills, that brings in roughly $29,000 a year. Interest alone on the $9.575 million Series 2025A bonds at 7.125% is about $682,000 a year. The bond proceeds set aside $2,046,656 in capitalized interest to help cover the early payments. District No. 2's tax base also counts toward repayment, so this isn't the whole picture. Still, the direction is clear: the plan depends on the tax base growing.
The Colorado Division of Local Government explains how this plays out. Infrastructure debt is meant to be spread across every lot over the life of the bonds. While a development is short of full buildout, "the presently developed properties are responsible for more than their apportioned amount." The division also points to unissued debt as something to watch. Voters authorized more than the 2025 bonds, and each new issue adds to what taxpayers owe. The district's website lists $60 million in authorized public infrastructure debt.
Construction is moving. Easter Hill's 51 lots are nearly sold out, with model homes open from Goetzmann Custom Homes and Aspen Leaf Innovations. Canyon Rim 360's 22 custom lots are down to a few. On March 4, 2026, the city approved Filing 2 for 125 attached homes. The developer calls that neighborhood The Corner and lists Lennar as the builder. It's planned for 2027, along with 4H Peaks, a 47-site neighborhood split between Goetzmann and Aspen Leaf. Each finished home adds to the tax base. Buying now means paying the full levy while that base is still small.
How Redlands 360 compares with other Grand Junction metro districts
Metro districts aren't new to Grand Junction. The Ridges Metropolitan District goes back to the Ridges development of the late 1970s, and the city approved the Redlands Mesa Metropolitan District's service plan in 2008. Here's how 2026 levies compare among the districts with published figures:
| District | 2026 levy | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Redlands 360 MD No. 1 | 70.031 mills | 15.000 operations, 55.031 debt |
| Redlands 360 MD No. 2 | 69.895 mills | 14.827 operations, 55.068 debt |
| Redlands 360 MD No. 7 | 0 mills | No levy certified for 2026 |
| West Junction MD No. 1 | 51.779 mills | Total certified for collection in 2026 |
| Lowell Village MD | 95.000 mills | 30.000 operating, 65.000 capital |
District No. 7 shows that a Redlands 360 address doesn't guarantee a particular levy. Each of the nine districts certifies its own rate, so the district a parcel sits in matters as much as the neighborhood name. The issue is getting attention elsewhere in the valley too. On July 1, 2025, Fruita temporarily stopped processing new special district service plans while it wrote a policy and a model plan.
What the levy pays for is real. The approved plan includes a public land dedication of at least 185 acres. The developer's plan describes 11 traditional parks totaling about 35 acres and seven trailheads. The trade is a higher yearly tax in exchange for infrastructure and open space that an older subdivision either paid for decades ago or never had.
FAQ
Is there an HOA as well as the metro district? Yes. The developer describes a separate HOA for resident-only amenities like the community room, pool, fitness center and pickleball courts, paid for through HOA fees. The materials we reviewed don't list a current dues amount.
When does the debt levy end? The developer's flyer says the debt levy ends when the financing term expires. The current Series 2025A bonds mature in 2055. Any bonds issued later would carry their own schedules.
Where can I verify the numbers for a specific home? The district publishes its budgets and debt information at redlands360md.com. The state's Division of Local Government guide lists the questions to ask about a district's finances. The Mesa County Assessor explains how assessment rates and mill levies combine on your bill.
If you're weighing a Redlands 360 home against a resale nearby, Jennifer Van Gundy and our team can go through the -110 disclosure with you line by line. We'll help you confirm which district the parcel is in and compare the yearly cost of both homes before you decide.
