A proposed mixed-use development on the western edge of Castle
Rock was defeated on second reading before a standing-room-only
crowd at the town’s council meeting.
Town council shut down the proposed Hillside at Castle Rock
annexation July 15 after granting earlier support during the
November 2007 first reading. Town council reconsidered its decision
in the face of an outpouring of community objection.
The council’s change of heart was met with wild cheering and
applause from a crowd that voiced its objection during nearly an
hour of public comments before the council rendered its
decision.
“We were told, when we purchased our home four years ago, that
[the property at Hillside] was zoned for single-family homes on
1-acre lots,” said Dirk Vandervoort, who lives across Wolfensberger
from the proposed development. Vandervoort’s Castle Highlands home
sits in the shadow of the mesa earmarked for development.
“I … do not understand why businesses need to be mixed in with
residences,” Vandervoort said.
Vandervoort’s comments echoed those of about a dozen who urged
town council to reject the proposed annexation. The council
eventually agreed with residents in a vote of 3-2 to shut down the
annexation request.
“Good job!” a lone voice from the audience cried, triggering a
noisy show of support of the council’s decision.
The decision came after years of negotiations between the town
and the developer, with the town driving the plans for the
development to its fateful end.
The Hillside at Castle Rock was originally proposed by the
Wolfensberger Property Group LLC in 2004 as a planned development
with 100 single-family homes.
Subsequent meetings with the town resulted in a proposal for a
mixed-use development with up to 190 nontraditional dwelling units
and 130,000 square feet of commercial space, said Miles Grant,
owner and partner of the Wolfensberger Property Group.
The mixed-use concept is mirrored in the town’s comprehensive
master plan and 2020 vision to create more self-sustaining
developments in and around Castle Rock, said Jason Reynolds, zoning
manager, Castle Rock development services.
In the face of the council’s decision to deny the proposed
development, town leaders conceded the time to revisit the town’s
vision might be at hand.
Despite the town’s stated intent to create pockets of mixed-use
developments among Castle Rock’s slew of single-family homes,
councils have long rejected proposals that combine commercial with
residential, said Mark Stevens, town manager. Those decisions
reflect a disparity between the town’s vision and that of its
residents, Stevens said.
“Everybody looks at the plan conceptually and says ‘I like that’
but nobody wants it anywhere near them,” Stevens said. “On one hand
we’re supposed to follow this plan to encourage mixed-use
development, then when we get into real-world evaluation — nobody
wants real-world development. We typically say we still support
that concept but this isn’t the right place.”
The right place for mixed-use development might not be in Castle
Rock, based upon the values of the community reflected in years of
public outcry against the plan, Stevens said. The dilemma is one
the town has faced for nearly 20 years as councils have rejected
one mixed-use proposal after another, he said.
“Maybe we should change the plan,” Stevens said. “It all sounds
nice in the master plan but sometimes in the real world, the real
world’s a little messier.”
One councilmember who supported the Hillside proposal said the
town faces a balancing act between maintaining high quality and
providing services. Developments such as the Hillside at Castle
Rock could see public support with more communication between the
developer and the surrounding neighbors, said Joe Procopio,
councilman, District 7.
“Everybody wants to have a nice residential community … but if
we want to maintain our quality of life we have to find a way to
keep revenue coming in to take care of operations and maintenance,”
Procopio said. “We have to find ways to attract clean, responsible
businesses into the town so we can sustain our quality of
life.”
Grant could not be reached for comment following the council’s
decision but Reynolds said the Wolfensberger Property Group might
begin a community outreach to solicit support of the Hillside at
Castle Rock.
Vandervoort, for one, will keep an eye out for every opportunity
to remain involved in the process.
“Sometimes you feel so outnumbered by the [people who make the
decisions],” Vandervoort said. “This time we outnumbered them. If
people get together, this is the kind of thing that can
happen.”
303-663-7162 | rmoore@ccnewspapers.com