Despite Castle Rock officials’ concerns about water and development, the Douglas County Planning Board recommended moving forward with zoning and water changes for the Pine Canyon development. Their OK on the related water and zoning changes means county commissioners could greenlight the changes next month.
Pine Canyon is a planned 530-acre mixed-use development in unincorporated Douglas County off Interstate 25, surrounded by Castle Rock. Developers plan to build up to 800 single-family homes, 1,000 multifamily units and 600,000 square feet of commercial space. Plans also include a hotel and spa, elementary school campus, wastewater treatment plant, transportation hub and 176 acres of parks and open space, 60 acres of which will be used as a working ranch.
The land is currently used as a cattle ranch and is zoned for agricultural use, rural residential and general industry. The developers are proposing rezoning to a planned development area and will seek to apply for different water standards than those normally required by the county.
Castle Rock officials oppose the project because they fear the planned construction will strain city resources, especially the water system. But members of the planning board were undeterred.
“I think the applicant has been very thorough in responding to the public’s input,” said Planning Commissioner CJ Garbo. “I have no doubts about the technology and I think it is well thought out.”
Douglas County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on rezoning from agricultural to mixed-use and water issues on Sept. 10.
In response to concerns about impacts to Castle Rock’s services and water needs, Pine Canyon officials declined. The development is envisioned to rely largely on groundwater, a non-renewable water source, and to build its own wastewater treatment plant. The development proposal states that reused water will be used for outside irrigation.
Castle Rock requires that construction projects have a renewable water source in addition to groundwater reserves. Douglas County does not.
The county requires developers to have 0.75 acre-feet of groundwater per single-family home. Pine Canyon requires a permit for 0.273 acre-feet of groundwater per home.
Jill Repella, a consultant for Pine Canyon, said the water application the project is seeking is consistent with other projects like Sterling Ranch. The water application and plan for Pine Canyon was reviewed by county staff, a county water consultant and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Alternative water standards are nothing new in Douglas County,” Repella said.
Repella said the development already has all the water it needs to supply the project, leaving 35 percent of groundwater unused as a buffer.
The project is based on water reuse, which Repella said is a better source than renewable water supplies. She added that Pine Canyon’s proposed water and sanitation district would have a renewable water fund to procure additional water.
“Water reuse is extremely valuable in Douglas County because it is reliable and trustworthy. This is better than renewable water supplies because many renewable water supplies in Douglas County are based on water rights,” Repella said.
Other Pine Canyon officials raised concerns about fire and traffic.
Castle Rock has announced it will explore the possibility of removing Pine Canyon from the fire protection district, but an attorney for the developers said the city has no legal right to do so.
In terms of traffic, it is estimated that the development will add more than 22,000 additional car trips per day to the roads. Developers and city officials said that road capacity is sufficient for the additional number of cars.
Marcus Pachner, a consultant on the construction project, said the project would improve the city’s transport links.
“It’s really important to understand that this location will provide better east-west connectivity,” Pachner said.
Only Planning Commissioner Jim Browning voted against the water appeal because he felt the plan did not provide adequate supplies. He pointed out that the project would be the lowest standard in the county. Browning and Garbo voted against the rezoning.
