Latest news with #CastlePines
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Snooty town bans McDonald's from opening because locals want a better class of restaurant
An upscale Colorado town has managed to stop McDonald's from building a restaurant in their town - seemingly because locals considered it too tacky. Locals in Castle Pines, in Douglas County, erupted in fury after plans by the fast food chain to open up a 3,671-square-foot two-lane drive thru emerged last year. Tensions came to ahead in May 2024 when the council held a public meeting asking residents if they should allow the Golden Arches to open a franchise. According to Business Den, that discussion descended into chaos with locals heard chanting 'No clown in our town!'. The outlet reported that over one hundred people attended the meeting, and the decision to reject the McDonald's was upheld with a 5-2 vote. Shortly after, the council was sued by developer CP Commercial, run by Ventana Capital, that owns the land where the McDonald's would have stood. The firm said the council had used 'nebulous bases' in denying the build, including traffic and a lack of outdoor seating, to disguise the fact they just hated McDonald's. Over a year later, Judge Stacy Guillon sided with the city and upheld their original decision. In her findings, Judge Guillon said: 'Because the council had competent evidence to support denying the site improvement plan, the court affirms the council's decision. 'The law makes clear that this court is not to second guess whether the city council acted wisely or in its constituents' best interest. 'The court may reverse only if the city council had no competent evidence whatsoever to support the decision it made.' She also rejected the argument by CP Commercial that because city code allowed for fast food, the council didn't have any basis to deny the plans. By this thinking, she said that 'raucous nightclubs' might be allowed where 'mellow cocktail lounges' are. CP Commercial said they were 'disappointed' in the decision, saying the council had caved to 'a minority of voices and their desire for a different brand of restaurant'. According to the developer they are now weighing up a possible appeal against the ruling. A statement continued: 'The city council should not be permitted to hide behind, as the court aptly noted, factors that are inherently subjective. 'The city's residents deserve not only the significant tax benefits that a McDonald's would bring but also additional restaurant choices.' Douglas Gilbert, president of the Castle Pines North Homeowners Association No. 1, welcomed the move. Gilbert had been a vocal opponent of the move to bring McDonald's to the area, telling the outlet it was too close to two schools and feared it would lead to trash. He said: 'We feel vindicated in the sense that our city government has protected the property rights of quite a few homeowners who would have had to deal with the traffic, and protected the school children who also would have been impacted.' City Manager Michael Penny added in a statement: 'The city is pleased that the District Court applied the appropriate deference to the City Council's judgment on this proposal. 'The city remains hopeful that future development along the Castle Pines Parkway corridor will develop in a way that best meets the needs of the community.
CBS News
07-08-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Court sides with Castle Pines in Colorado development dispute over a McDonald's
When a developer proposed building a McDonald's in Castle Pines, neighbors gathered in opposition. Now, after more than a year of legal battles, a Douglas County District Court has ruled in favor of those neighbors and the City of Castle Pines. "What we want to do is avoid creating more of a traffic problem than we already have," said Douglas Gilbert, president of the Castle Pines North Homeowners Association No. 1. Gilbert was one of many neighbors who vocally opposed the McDonald's, citing concerns over traffic, trash, noise and safety. Gilbert says the site is close to two schools, augmenting his worries about traffic and street safety. He also feels the McDonald's would not be compatible with the neighborhood. Developer CP Commercial, which falls under the umbrella of Ventana Capital, proposed a 3,671-square-foot, two-lane drive-through McDonald's near Castle Pines Parkway and Lagae Road in the incoming Parkway Plaza. CP Commercial owns the land and was contracted to sell the property for use as a McDonalds restaurant, according to legal documents. But first, they need approval of the project's site improvement plan from Castle Pines. Despite city staff recommending approval, Castle Pines City Council denied the site improvement plan in May of 2024, stating the plan didn't support the goals of the city or further the welfare of the community. "I was happy in the sense that council had taken the time to dig into the file, to understand the issues and to deny the SIP... I was disappointed that it came to that and that council hadn't been supported by staff, and that staff had really dropped the ball," Gilbert said. Neighbors like Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief -- only for CP Commercial to file a lawsuit appealing that decision, alleging council made an "arbitrary" decision to deny the plan based on public opinion. Concerned that the city would not represent homeowners' interests due to a "public-private partnership agreement" with LS Partners LLC, Gilbert's HOA decided to join the lawsuit. LS Partners lists the same Englewood address as Ventana Capital. "We felt that the city had a conflict of interest that it just simply could not overcome. So we decided, as a board of the homeowners association that we would intervene in the lawsuit," Gilbert said. Castle Pines had no comment on the partnership or Gilbert's allegation of a conflict of interest. Over a year later, a Douglas County District Court has ruled in favor of the city and HOA, stating council had "competent evidence" to deny the plan. "The city is pleased that the District Court applied the appropriate deference to the City Council's judgment on this proposal. The city remains hopeful that future development along the Castle Pines Parkway corridor will develop in a way that best meets the needs of the community. We look forward to working with property owners and applicants on future applications," Castle Pines City Manager Michael Penny said in a statement to CBS Colorado. "We have another 48 days to wait to see if they take it to another level at the Court of Appeals. We hope that they do not. We believe the decision that the court has rendered in this case is very well grounded and would be upheld on appeal," Gilbert said. CP Commercial's attorney shared the following statement: "CP Commercial is disappointed that the court declined to overturn Castle Pines' decision to deny a McDonald's after the city council caved to a vocal minority of voices and their desire for a different brand of restaurant instead of a McDonald's. The city council should not be permitted to hide behind, as the court aptly noted, factors that 'are inherently subjective.' The city's residents deserve not only the significant tax benefits that a McDonald's would bring but also additional restaurant choices. CP Commercial is exploring its options, including an appeal." If they choose not to appeal, CP Commercial can propose another development on the land. "I think what this has shown is creating a drive-through which brings a lot of traffic into the city isn't going to be a compatible development," Gilbert said. "We would certainly hope that our city and our city council take this in stride and see this as an opportunity to improve what they do. I think they need to do a full and thorough review of staff and staff's role in this." The City of Castle Pines says it spent about $21,000 on the lawsuit, while the HOA says it spent about $7,000. Gilbert is still hoping that some of those costs will be recuperated.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- CBS News
Colorado man found naked in Castle Pines field accused of stabbing woman to death, injuring another, police say
A Colorado woman is dead and another is recovering in the hospital after the Douglas County Sheriff's Office says a family member stabbed both of them in a Castle Pines apartment. The suspect in the case is now in custody and facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder. The stabbing happened late Sunday night in the Madison Apartments at Canyons community, just west of Interstate 25 off Hess Road, the sheriff's office said on Monday. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said in a news conference that the sheriff's office received a 911 call just after 11:30 p.m. about a stabbing in progress in an apartment building. Responding deputies forced their way into the apartment complex after dispatchers learned there was already at least one person who had been stabbed and then forced their way into the apartment unit after seeing blood on the ground outside the unit, Weekly said. Deputies found one woman dead with apparent stab wounds, and another woman who was injured after having been cut or stabbed, Weekley said. Deputies rendered aid to the injured woman, and she was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. Investigators learned the suspect had fled the apartment prior to deputies' arrival, and a code red was sent to nearby residents. The sheriff's office soon got calls from several neighbors who reported seeing the suspect, Weekly said, and deputies located 18-year-old Messiah Williams in a field about a mile south of the apartment. He was naked when he was located, but arrested without incident, the sheriff's office said. No information was provided about the woman who died, and she'll be identified by the Douglas County Coroner's Office at a later date, but Weekly said the injured woman is 20 years old, and all three people are family members. Williams now faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and tampering with physical evidence; all felonies. He'll ultimately be formally charged by the Court records were not yet available in this case as of Monday afternoon, and it wasn't clear if Williams has retained an attorney or when he's due in court. Weekly lauded the deputies and credited their actions with saving the injured woman's life and went on to say that violent crimes are rare in the city of about 11,000 people. He also said there were no previous 911 calls from the apartment where the stabbings occurred. "I can't praise their response enough for how quickly they got here, how quickly they made the decision to force entry -- not only on the exterior door, but also on the interior door -- it saved a life," he said in front of the apartment building, a broken glass door visible behind him. "I've been here for 32 years and I cannot remember the last time we had a homicide in Castle Pines." Weekly said he doesn't believe there's an ongoing danger to the community, and investigators believe Williams was the only suspect in the stabbings.
CBS News
09-06-2025
- CBS News
2 people arrested in connection with felony child exploitation investigation in Colorado's Douglas County
Two Colorado residents were arrested in connection with a sex crimes investigation in Douglas County. Douglas County sheriff's detectives arrested 33-year-old Michael Palestino, of Castle Pines, last month and 28-year-old Gianna Worley, of Centennial, was arrested last week, the sheriff's office said on Monday. Michael Palestino, left, and Gianna Worley have been arrested in connection with a child sex exploitation investigation in Douglas County. Douglas County Sheriff's Office Few details about the investigation, which detectives say is ongoing, were immediately available, but Palestino is facing charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, sexual exploitation of a child -- both class 3 felonies -- sexual assault of a child and sexual exploitation of a child -- both class 4 felonies. He's being held in the El Paso County Jail without bond in an unrelated case, according to Douglas County investigators, and will be transferred to Douglas County. Worley faces 12 charges of sexual exploitation of a child -- one of which is being classified as a class 3 felony and 11 of which are a class 4 felony, according to the sheriff's office. She was booked into the Douglas County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
Man arrested, accused of jumping from moving vehicle on Colorado's I-25, trying to steal motorcycle
Man in custody after jumping from moving car on I-25 Man in custody after jumping from moving car on I-25 Man in custody after jumping from moving car on I-25 A man was arrested by Douglas County Sheriff's deputies after he allegedly jumped from a moving vehicle on Colorado's I-25. According to investigators, the man jumped from the moving vehicle on I-25 at mile marker 189- the Castle Pines Parkway exit, for unknown reasons. He then proceeded to the median where a motorcyclist had stopped. Investigators said the man tried to steal the motorcycle and that's when a deputy arrived and intervened. The Castle Pines Parkway exit off I-25 in Douglas County. CBS The suspect attacked the deputy and Douglas County said "use-of-force ensued." He was taken into custody and transported to the hospital. He is currently facing charges of attempted motor vehicle theft and assault on a peace officer.
