500 acre mega Colorado sports complex proposed in Sterling Ranch to be funded by Douglas County parks & open space fund

Commissioners in Colorado's Douglas County will discuss plans for a mega sports complex in a work session on Tuesday morning.

Commissioners say the idea is a top priority and was added to their strategic master plan for the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund. County voters extended a 0.17% sales tax benefiting that fund in 2022.

Now, county leaders are in the early stages of planning a number of projects that will use those funds. Sterling Ranch could see a 500-acre sports mega complex, including ball fields, polo fields and a botanic garden.

"We're talking about basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer potential ... cultural facilities, walking trails, biking. It's going to be interconnected to the East-West Regional Trail and accessible to all citizens in Douglas County," said County Commissioner Abe Laydon.

Laydon said the proposed Zebulon Sports Complex is what county taxpayers want, based on a recent survey of parks and open space funding priorities.

"The summary to that survey is yes. Coloradans in Douglas County want all the above. They want indoor, outdoor sports courts. They want a sports village. They want botanic gardens. They want a place to have open space, trails, riding facilities, and all of those things associated with great recreation in Colorado," Laydon said.

The survey found the single highest priority for taxpayers was open space.

"Most people moved out here to be away from the city, and they feel like the city is encroaching on them. They really want to preserve the open space," said Roxborough Park neighbor Ephram Glass.

Glass would rather see parks tax dollars go to preserving open space than to a sports complex.

"For most people who voted on the extension of the sales tax going to parks and open space, most people were assuming the vast majority of the funds would go towards open space. However, it seems like it's more of a pot up for grabs for developers where they're trying to avoid spending their own money and using Douglas County funds for these developments," Glass said.

One Sterling Ranch mother said she is excited at the prospect of having kids' sports facilities nearby.

Youth sports groups have been vocal about the need for more ballfields in the county. Raptors President Mark Steinke said he supports Zebulon for increasing youth sports but that the plan will not be a solution for his Castle Rock players who lack fields.

Laydon could not say how much Zebulon would cost the county but said it would be funded by the parks and open space dollars, which are strictly governed by ballot language.

"It's not a surprise that over 70% of the people voted in favor of keeping the sales tax for open space, but if they hear that most of that money is not going to open space, they'd be very upset," Glass said. 

But Laydon insists the plan incorporates open space.

"There will be elements that are truly parks and recreation, elements that are open space and certainly some historic elements as well," Laydon said.

Sterling Ranch would donate the 500 acres to the county. Development company President Brock Smethills shared the following statement about Zebulon:

"In an effort to be a good neighbor, Sterling Ranch Development Company volunteered a recently acquired parcel of land located outside of the main portion of Sterling Ranch for a regional sports complex that would serve all of Douglas County with world-class sports facilities. This is a Douglas County Board of County Commissioners directed project that would benefit the entire county, and Sterling Ranch Development Company is thankful to the board to yet again be a regional partner to Douglas County. This project would also drive economic development, restaurants, transportation improvements, hotels, and so much more to an area that has been lacking those types of amenities and infrastructure. This attraction would benefit Sterling Ranch residents with new shopping, dining, recreation, and community gathering spaces that Sterling Ranch would not be able to support at this time on its own. Sterling Ranch Development Company looks forward to continuing the initial feasibility study for Zebulon with the Board of County Commissioners to also include future regional parks within Sterling Ranch as part of this new entertainment area, including Burns Park."

The plan is in early stages and is not the only parks project on the table. Laydon said commissioners still want public input on this and other ideas. Their work session on Zebulon on Tuesday will be at 10:30 a.m., and neighbors can Join the Meeting Remotely via Teams or call 720-739-2066 (audio only) and enter Phone Conference ID: 385 389 957#.

County commissioners plan to hold a live town hall on the Zebulon idea next month in Sterling Ranch.