Week of March 2, 2023
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
CastleRockNewsPress.net
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 46
Thomas removed from serving on county boards Residents sue
county to halt apartments near Parker
Teal, Laydon vote for removal BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The two-member majority of Douglas County’s elected leaders has removed the third commissioner from several boards that oversee community organizations, a move she called “personal political retribution.” “For nearly two years now, (Abe) Laydon and (George) Teal have conspired and collaborated to silence my voice and prohibit me from executing my fiduciary duty to act in the interests of the residents of Douglas County, including the almost 129,000 voters who re-elected me in November 2020 by an 18-point margin,” Commissioner Lora Thomas wrote in a February SEE REMOVED, P8
Developer proposes workforce housing BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
property will likely be developed regardless of being in town boundaries. “We think it’s better to ensure its annexed and developed into town so that we set the rules for it and no one else does,” Corliss said. While acknowledging community concerns with growth, council members agreed the annexation process allows the town to shape the development and ensure it provides public benefits. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken said if the town chose not to annex the project, the town wouldn’t have input and would still see impacts to traffic and water.
The ongoing battle in the Denver suburbs against new apartment complexes has reached the Parker area again, but this time, residents took the fight to court. More than 100 area residents filed a lawsuit against Douglas County’s elected leaders for allowing a development to move forward that would put about 200 housing units just south of the Town of Parker near state Highway 83. Residents of The Pinery, an area that sits between Parker and Castle Rock’s northeast edge, brought the lawsuit, arguing the proposed development does not meet the county’s approval requirements and that it is “incompatible with the existing character” of the area. They also cited concerns of increased traffic. The Pinery, a relatively remote set of neighborhoods along a major state highway, consists of low-density, single-family homes, according to the lawsuit complaint. (“Density” is a term for how many people or housing units occupy an area.) “Plaintiffs will experience actual, immediate, and irreparable harm from (the county’s) approval of the development,” the lawsuit complaint says.
SEE ANNEXING, P9
SEE HALT, P10
Commissioners George Teal, left, and Abe Laydon have removed colleague Lora PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES Thomas from several boards.
Council approves annexing Canyons Far South Commercial, 400 homes planned BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Town of Castle Rock got 409 acres bigger after the council approved the annexation of the upcoming Canyons Far South development. Located north of the Terrain neighborhood along Founders Parkway, the Canyons Far South project is slated to include 474 single family homes, both attached and detached, as well as 60,000 square feet of commercial space and 226 acres of open
space. As part of the annexation into town, the council also approved zoning for the property as a Planned Development District and a development agreement, which requires the developers to provide water, infrastructure and recreation resources. During the Feb. 21 meeting, Tara Vargish, director of development services, said this is the town’s first large annexation in 15 years. “We do feel overall that we’re getting a very high quality annexation,” Vargish said. Castle Rock Town Manager David Corliss said the annexation is a chance to ensure the development offers benefits to the town since the
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