Dawson Trails development to bring new I-25 interchange, thousands of homes to Castle Rock, Colorado
Construction is already underway on a Costco on the south end of Castle Rock, and the town is also looking to add a new Crystal Valley I-25 interchange there. It will serve the incoming Dawson Trails community that will bring 5,850 new homes to Castle Rock.
"Five thousand, eight hundred homes... that's at least 5,800 vehicles on the road," said Brad Smiley, who lives south of the development in unincorporated Douglas County.
Smiley says the quiet area he moved to in '08 isn't so quiet anymore.
"All that was empty when I moved in here," said Smiley.
The recent development of Crystal Valley, expansion of an RV park, and widening of Interstate 25 through the South Gap project have meant constant construction and road safety concerns near Smiley.
"It was pretty bad during the I-25 work, there were a few deaths involved because of head-on collisions when they put the new guard rails on," said Smiley.
Now, he's worried about Dawson Trails.
"What are these planners thinking? Are they thinking just with their wallets and not about the people that have to live here?" asked Smiley.
Developer Larry Jacobson with Westside Investment Partners says they're thinking about the future.
"We've taken a really holistic view towards replanning and rezoning the property. We now have about 50% parks and open space," said Jacobson.
The nearly 6,000 homes will be developed alongside 3.2 million square feet of commercial developments, including plans for small and large grocers, restaurants, and even a medical campus.
"I don't know where they're gonna put all these people, all this traffic," said Smiley.
Smiley is worried about the service road that allows access to his community, which he says will likely be the only access to Dawson Trails in the early stages. He feels construction and thousands of new neighbors will create congestion and road safety issues.
"We're trying to be very respectful of the concerns of the citizens to make a responsible footprint," said Jacobson.
Jacobson says the new interchange should mitigate congestion, and they'll build roadways parallel to I-25.
"Where's the water coming from?" asked Smiley.
The Town of Castle Rock says the area was zoned for development in 1984, and they have been planning to provide water services since.
"We have a very very aggressive water efficiency plan," said Jacobson.
The interchange and Costco will likely open in late 2026, homes will come in shortly after. The full Dawson Trails vision, and impact to Smiley's peace and quiet, may not be complete until 2040.
"We think it's gonna be a huge economic generator for the town," said Jacobson.
Like other new developments in Douglas County, Dawson Trails will be a school desert. Jacobson says they have two school sites in their development plan. But the school district will need to secure funding to build there with a bond.
