Controversial development in Colorado seeks annexation into town of Castle Rock
A controversial development in Douglas County will now seek approval through the town of Castle Rock.
The 535-acre proposed Pine Canyon development would include 1,800 homes and a resort hotel. The land lies both east and west of Interstate 25. The east portion is located generally north of Scott Boulevard, south of Black Feather Trail, west of Founders Parkway and east of Front Street. The west portion is generally east of Prairie Hawk Drive, south of Santa Fe Drive and bisected by Liggett Road.
While the property is surrounded by Castle Rock, it is technically unincorporated Douglas County, but that could soon change.
The piece of land has been owned by the Walker family for over a century. For years, they've attempted to develop it and been met with controversy. This year, an application has been in front of Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, but now, the application process will start over, as the Walker family seeks to develop this land through Castle Rock.
"We have fought it since we've moved in, basically," said Brian Fienen, a 10-year Woodlands neighborhood resident whose home backs up to the Walker property.
For years, Fienen has spoken out against the development of the Walker property behind his home. "Traffic, the noise pollution, water, water is going to be a major issue. The loss of wildlife back there, the loss of the open space that's back there. There's not one good thing that comes out of this development for the town, except for the town receives more money," Fienen said.
Castle Rock's move
The town of Castle Rock has echoed some of Brian Fienen's concerns, opposing the development proposed to Douglas County based on its impact to town resources and plans to develop solely off nonrenewable groundwater.
But, last week, Castle Rock Town Council approved a pre-annexation agreement with the land's owners -- the Walker family. It would bring the development under Castle Rock jurisdiction, integrating it into the town's water system and requiring it to meet town water standards.
"The best thing is that this is developed in the town of Castle Rock," Randy Reed said.
Reed has lived in Castle Rock since 1987, and in a home next to the Walker property since 2000.
"We backed up to that property for the 24 years that we've lived here, and we've enjoyed the property back there with the cows and the animals and the wildlife," Reed said. "We have a very panoramic view of the Front Range of Colorado."
Reed is also the former Castle Rock mayor. He says he sees development in the area as inevitable, and he supports the decision for Pine Canyon to be annexed into Castle Rock.
"It's been a long process, I think, for the town as well as for the Walker family. It's their choice to develop that property, and only request that I ever have is that they be compatible to the properties that already surround the property," Reed said. "I think it works really well for the town. It works really well for the developer and the future residents that would be on that property. If it was in the county, those people would be confused all the time why they live in the middle of Castle Rock, and they're not a Castle Rock resident. So I think this is a win-win for all the parties involved."
Reed would like to see the project scaled down to a lower density to mitigate impact to town infrastructure and wildlife.
Fienen, however, takes little comfort in the project's move to the town.
"It is better going through the town that this development is tapped into the town's water system, I believe," Fienen said. "We still will not have enough water to support this growth, and the growth going on south of town. All it takes is a couple dry years, and we're going to be hurting."
Fienen has grown tired of showing up to meeting after meeting and saying the same thing.
"The majority of people are against this development to begin with, but the town doesn't care," Fienen asserted.
Landowner weighs in
Kurt Walker shared a comment with CBS Colorado, expressing excitement for finally reaching an agreement with Castle Rock and addressing neighbor concerns.
"We're excited and hopeful to have made the progress we have thus far with the town,' walker shared in his comment. "Unfortunately, prior to working with the county, there was no real path toward making something happen with the town, but we're pleased that town staff has been working with us on making something really positive for the entire community happen for the last few months. The 'Pre-Annexation Agreement' that was unanimously approved by the town council last week lays out a solid framework for what Pine Canyon can become, as well as providing guidance for us all to make that happen."
"Throughout the decades, this process has taken us, we've taken the communities' thoughts and comments into consideration as we've crafted the plans for Pine Canyon, and it's always made the plans better. We'll continue to do that throughout this annexation process, and then in the future, as this is just the first of many steps before these visions become reality."
"Specifically regarding water, as we annex into the town, we will integrate into their system. We will dedicate our water resource to the town, and they will allow us to use the town's infrastructure. The principles underlying our water plan around water conservation and resiliency will still be present in what Pine Canyon becomes. We will just be able to work with the town on achieving those principles."
"We've been very conscious about wildlife habitat in the planning design process. Part of what we ensured is that the over 175 acres of designated open space covers all the areas of the property that have been identified as having high habitat value. That will all remain untouched. All of our planned open space on the eastern portion of the property is meant to preserve areas with large amounts of trees and habitat for the wildlife, and these open spaces are all linked and congruent to maintain ability for wildlife to continue to traverse through the property. Both Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Douglas County's Office of Natural Resources praised the plan for the way open space is being planned to help maintain wildlife habitat."
A closer look at groundwater
A Castle Rock town staff report on the pre-annexation recommends Castle Rock approve Pine Canyon's proposal with a significantly lower water standard than the town typically requires.
According to the staff report, "Town staff is recommending approval of the PD zoning with a nonrenewable groundwater dedication of approximately 757 acre-feet, which is short of the normal nonrenewable groundwater dedication required for a development of this size. The town will reserve existing excess nonrenewable groundwater already owned by the town to ensure the appropriate amount of nonrenewable groundwater is available for the benefit of the development."
A 757 acre-feet dedication would provide approximately 0.42 acre-feet of nonrenewable groundwater per dwelling. The Walker family is seeking residential zoning for 1,800 dwelling units, comprised of 800 single-family homes and up to 1,000 multifamily units.
A previous statement from the town of Castle Rock shared the following comment concerning the Pine Canyon application to Douglas County.
"Douglas County typically requires 0.75 acre-feet of nonrenewable groundwater per single-family residence," Castle Rock shared in the statement. "The development is asking to develop off of approximately 0.273 acre-feet of nonrenewable groundwater per single-family residence. Meanwhile, Castle Rock Water requires a minimum of 1.1 acre-feet of nonrenewable groundwater per single-family residence, along with connecting new development to a long-term, renewable water supply. Reducing the amount of groundwater required to one-fifth of what larger water providers in Douglas County require should not be considered."
The staff report says the development will be subject to all town fees and must meet all of the town's water conservation standards, including the ColoradoScape requirements put in place at the end of 2022. It also says, "Town staff believe that getting this development into the town's water system and off of sole reliance on nonrenewable groundwater is important for the region and the long-term sustainability of water supply for the town and this development."
Timeline
The Walkers must submit an annexation application to the town of Castle Rock by the end of January 2025. Once submitted, the review process will begin. The town plans to hold three neighborhood meetings on the project.
