Journal 8: Mid-Mountain Development and Filing #2

By the 1970s, Steve Pierotti was ready to take Pinehaven to the next level. With the success of Filing #1 behind him, he began planning Filing #2, a brand-new phase of development that would stretch across Roads 405, 406, 407, and extending portion of Road 401.(1) 

In 1974, Huerfano County formed the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District (CSWD), a special district tasked with bringing modern water and sewer services to the Cuchara Valley. However, it was not until 2007-2008 that residents of Pinehaven were brought into the water/sewer system.2 This enabled Pinehaven residents to connect with reliable treated water and send wastewater to the central treatment plant instead of a septic leach field. 

Pinehaven Filling #2 under Steve Pierotti leadership

Meanwhile, in filing #2, roads were carved into the rugged terrain, water lines were laid, and spacious half-acre lots were prepped for a new wave of cabins.

Soon, cabins began to sprout across the hillside. As Pinehaven blossomed, one challenge emerged, the original water system couldn’t keep up. True to form, Steve found a solution. He partnered with the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District to take over and upgrade the system, ensuring every new cabin had access to a reliable, long-term water supply.(2)

Steve Pierotti’s son Bob also leaned into the momentum and built several spec homes in Filing #1, quickly filling many of the remaining lots. He also framed and constructed homes in Filing #2 before transitioning fully into real estate. The following image shows the roads and cabins in the Pinehaven community at the time of this writing. (3)

Current cabins placements as of June 2025

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Footnotes

Parenthetical numbers in the text (e.g., 5) correspond to the sequentially numbered citations listed below.

1. Huerfano County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, Deed, Book 352, Page 222, Document ID General-352-222, filed on August 10, 1978 in Huerfano County, Colorado, accessed at www.thecountyrecorder.com. The deed documents and records the April 12, 1972, filing of Pinhaven #2 (reception 246148) and the June 28, 1949 filing for Pinehaven #1 (reception 180326).

2. Cucharas Sanitation and Water District, About Us, accessed June 1, 2025, https://www.cuchara.org/about-us 

3. Author’s note: In preparing this article, the author used AI-assisted tools for research support, proofreading, fact-checking, and stylistic refinement. The narrative, analysis, and historical interpretations are the author’s own, and responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author. The blog’s research methodology statement is available at:

https://cabininthepinescuchara.blogspot.com/2019/03/methodology-sources-and-use-of-research.html