Latest news with #CastleRock
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Castle Rock approves controversial Pine Canyon development, annexes Colorado land into town
Hundreds of homes will be coming to Castle Rock as part of a controversial development called Pine Canyon Ranch. Up until now, the proposed Pine Canyon development was in unincorporated Douglas County but was surrounded by the town of Castle Rock. For decades, it has been a cattle ranch belonging to the Scott and now Walker family. CBS The land is located on both the east and west sides of Interstate 25. To the east, it is north of Scott Boulevard, south of Black Feather Trail, west of Founders Parkway and east of Front Street. West of I-25, the property is east of Prairie Hawk Drive, south of Highway 85 and bisected by Liggett Road. At a Tuesday night meeting, the Castle Rock Town Council voted to annex the land into the town of Castle Rock and approve its development plan and zoning. This has been a controversial development, with neighbors saying they worry about its impact on traffic and town resources. But the public was notably absent from Tuesday night's meeting, as originally there was no public comment scheduled. CBS After the vote, landowner Kurt Walker spoke to CBS Colorado on camera for the first time. "What's the next step for you guys now?" CBS Colorado's Olivia Young asked Kurt Walker, Pine Canyon project manager and sixth-generation landowner. "Take a breath!" Walker replied. It's the yes Walker and his family have been waiting 20 years for. "It's been a very, very long lead-up, multiple decades. We're excited and relieved to have this chapter closed," Walker said. Most recently, Walker sought approval for the development through Douglas County, which drew outcry from neighbors and the town of Castle Rock itself, citing concerns that the development would develop solely off nonrenewable groundwater and would tax town resources without supporting them. Ultimately, county commissioners directed the applicant to meet with the town of Castle Rock, and after months of moving through the town's process, the land Walker's family has ranched for the last 150 years will soon be officially a part of Castle Rock. It has also been greenlit for development. "As of today, we get to be part of the fabric of the town itself and we are darn excited about integrating into the town," Walker said. The proposed Pine Canyon Ranch will include 800 single-family homes, 1,000 multifamily homes, open space and commercial space, which could include a hotel and spa. Many community members have said it's too much. "I'm worried about the traffic on Founders," said Laura Cavey, Castle Rock mayor pro tem. "I would love to see a little less density and some real focus on the traffic." "Nobody wants a hotel there. Everybody I talk to thinks it's a bad idea," said Castle Rock Town Councilmember Mark Davis. Echoing those concerns, three town councilors voted against the development plan. "I cannot vote yes," said Castle Rock Town Councilmember Tim Deitz. "We have one shot to do this right. Basically, I don't like the fact that we would piece-meal it." CBS But with four councilmembers voting yes, the development plan and zoning regulations passed. The annexation passed unanimously, and a final motion to approve annexation, a vested property rights agreement, and vesting site development plans passed 6-1. The only no vote was Councilmember Deitz, who said at times he felt the town was being "held hostage" in this process. "They're giving us all of our groundwater and we'll be able to keep our sanitation process safe going forward," said Kevin Bracken, Castle Rock town councilmember. Bracken voted yes on the development plan, saying he was not willing to risk having the development move through the county. He and other councilmembers said it would be a "bait and switch" to reject the proposal now. "We've worked really hard and done our due diligence to make sure it's done in the town of Castle Rock," said Jason Gray, Castle Rock mayor. "There are some things we don't love about this. At the same time, we do love that it's in the town of Castle Rock and not the county." Walker, pledging to listen to those concerns, as development begins: "We very much appreciate those comments and we look forward to working to do exactly what was said, which was work together to find the solution that works for the entire community," Walker said. While the project has been greenlit, the approval won't be formally official for 30 days. A town spokesperson said: "The annexation and zoning for Pine Canyon was approved by Town Council. There is a 30-day referendum period that starts now. Following that, the applicant will provide all of their signed mylars and agreements to the town for recording. Every project is different on when final documents are signed and submitted to the town. This typically ranges from one to six months from when the annexation and zoning was approved. The annexation and zoning are effective once all final documents are signed and recorded with the Douglas County Clerk and Recorder's Office." This approval is just the first step of a long development process. Next, site development plans will be submitted for approval. The developers say they will look at doing an updated traffic study as part of this process.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado woman runs 189 miles to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis
While a lot of people are relaxing on Memorial Day weekend, one Colorado woman is spending her week raising awareness about Multiple Sclerosis by running further than some people will run in their lives. Megan Gage is thankful for every step she takes, and this week she will be taking a lot of them. "I've trained for a long time, and I'm excited that it's finally here," said Gage. "The goal is to save some of the energy by giving less than I'm capable of, so that over the course of a week, I have gas left in the tank." The Castle Rock woman is running 189 miles from Denver's Sloan Lake to the Colorado-Nebraska state line. By 6 am on Sunday, she already had four under her belt, and she says she feels good. "Last night I felt calm. The night before that, I was a mess," said Gage. She is on this journey to raise money for and awareness about multiple sclerosis and multiple sclerosis research. A cause that is important to her because five years ago she was diagnosed with the disease. "My future turned gray where it's like all the color is instantly sucked out," said Gage. Initially, she was frightened because the autoimmune disease had the potential to strip her of all her movement and lead to her eventual death. But after running a half marathon shortly after diagnosis, she decided to take her health into her own hands as much as possible. Megan Gage sits in a hospital bed after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Megan Gage She started running and eventually joined Team MS Run the US on their annual run across the United States. This week, she is running her leg of the cross-country effort. She's been training for months now, but even that hasn't been without challenges. Just a few weeks ago, she came down with COVID, which is a little more difficult for her. "One of the main treatments for MS compromises your immune system and when you don't have any B-cells, it makes it much harder to fight off basic things like COVID," said Gage. "But I missed one run in seven months. So, I think that I showed up enough that I think I'm going to be okay." She is making her way to Wray, Colorado to prove to herself and her community that with the right attitude and support, you can overcome anything. Megan Gage celebrates finishing a race. The Colorado woman is now running 189 miles to raise money and awareness about multiple sclerosis. Megan Gage "My people have shown up. They've donated. They've supported, you know, bracelets and bumblebees and just little mementos to know that I have my people with me. It's meant everything," said Gage. She'll finish her leg in seven days, and she's hoping to reach her 15,000 fundraising goal by then.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Lowe's Scales And Optimizes Its Online Marketplace For Vendors And Customers
Lowe's in Castle Rock, Colorado. Home improvement giant Lowe's has partnered with Software as a Service (SaaS) provider Mirakl to help power Lowe's Marketplace, an online resource for DYI consumers and professionals alike. This will allow Lowe's to greatly expand and optimize its assortment and bring on new vendors. Michael McClusky, Lowe's vice president of Marketplace, said the company chose Mirakl because it has the proper tooling to onboard a large number of sellers in a frictionless way and because it has the suite of services to manage Lowe's business on a day to day basis. He declined to say exactly how many vendors will be onboarded. 'We're still in the low hundreds but we'll be in the high hundreds very quickly,' he said. 'We've been able to add thousands of new items to our assortment and platform and we have a robust pipeline of sellers on the platform. [The partnership] Another reason Lowe's chose Mirakl is because it's the biggest in the business with 450 customers worldwide that have online marketplaces running on Mirakl technology, retailers such as Macy's, Saks and Bloomingdale's. 'Retailers are looking for the ability to expand additional categories to offer deeper assortments so maybe you'll have more samples of a particular category from different vendors,' said Scott Eckert, Mirakl's CEO of the Americas. McClusky noted that the endless aisle also includes products that obviously can't be displayed in stores like swimming pools and infrared saunas. 'We want to rely on the sellers who can help us augment our catalog with items we can't carry in stores,' McClusky said. 'If it is in the home we see a great opportunity to say yes to customers with that, and it's a great way for us to augment what we offer across price points, from opening price point items to premium items.' Eckert said the agreement is to work together for three and a half years to enable Lowe's to build a significant business on their Marketplace. 'It shows that it's a significant commitment for both Lowe's and us to build this into a major new channel for them,' he said. The partnership can be renewed after three and a half years. 'Our customers are typically doing three and four year relationships and renewing them, and we expect they would renew them again. We haven't gotten that far since the company is only 13 years old. Mirakl enables our customers to do over $11 billion of gross merchandise value through their marketplaces. 'That's part of why Mirakl is a leader in the industry,' Eckert said. 'We have some big customers that have created big marketplace businesses using our software.' Homeowners in the U.S. have $35 trillion in combined equity, and Lowe's is eager to benefit from those who are nesting. 'I just bought a home in Charlotte as I relocated here and as I look around my house, and see all the things that I want to do, I want to see the variety of assortment out there," McClusky said. 'In the current environment we're operating in, from a more macro perspective, if customers are staying in their homes and perhaps not moving, they may want to do these types of refreshes. We see a great opportunity to be an endless aisle and to keep them browsing.' Among the challenges of the new Marketplace are that it's an entirely new model for Lowe's. 'Every time you bring on a new model, there's a lot of new mechanisms that you're bringing into the fold that you have to get right,' McClusky said. 'Some of the things that we're focused on right now are building a strong foundation on which our seller partners will be able to onboard and operate their businesses.' Next for the Marketplace, McClusky said Lowe's will be maniacally focused on its seller experience over the coming quarters and years, and making sure the experience is frictionless. An area where Lowe's could add value for sellers is the Lowe's ad network called Lowe's Media Network. 'How do we over time integrate the capability for sellers to drive more revenue to our platform and participate more via ads on he asked rhetorically. 'That's something where we see a great opportunity to continue to accelerate this business and benefit both sellers and customers.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bears spotted in Castle Rock neighborhood
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — Every morning, Tom Carnahan gets up and checks his cameras to see what kinds of wildlife have come by in the night. He says he is used to seeing things like deer, but was surprised to see bears on the sidewalk just feet from his front door. 'It's kind of creepy because you don't really know where they are or where they're going. I hate to run into them in the middle of the night,' Carnahan said. For the last 11 years, Carnahan has lived in his home in Castle Rock. Only for the last three years has he had cameras outside his home. Police: Unlikely suspect found to have entered 7 unlocked cars overnight 'It's quite exciting to watch and see what goes on at night. You never realize until you go look on the camera the next day and you see all the different animals that have come through,' Carnahan said. Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife says seeing bears in your neighborhood should be concerning. 'We don't want bears to become habituated and start to equate people with food because when they do that, they become more comfortable around us, they lose their natural fear of humans, and that's when we start to see conflicts,' Van Hoose said. Van Hoose added that bears can be aggressive, especially around their cubs, so it is best to be aware and stay vigilant at all times. Something Carnahan says he will be doing going forward. 'I was shocked because I hadn't seen a bear in eight months or so, and to see them just in the front yard, yeah, it's a little scary,' Carnahan said. Van Hoose says to prepare for bears, keep your trash locked up, bring bird feeders inside and if you see a bear, do your best to make a lot of noise by shouting or using pots and pans to scare it away. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Proposed development in Colorado town includes recreation center, 500 homes, 4-star hotel
A proposed development near downtown Castle Rock includes a recreation center, a hotel and hundreds of homes. The CBS Colorado helicopter flew above a portion of The Brickyard project construction site in Castle Rock Friday, May 9, 2025. CBS The 31-acre site is just west of Interstate 25 on Prairie Hawk Drive. For 40 years, it was home to the Acme Brickworks plant. Now, developers want to turn it into Castle Rock's newest district and highlight that history by using repurposed Acme bricks in the development, calling it "The Brickyard." "We've taken some of the cues from the old brick factory, kind of repurposing that facility feel, and then create a great hall for everybody to gather, and a really nice square, where we can have live music, ice skating in the winter," said Tony De Simone, founder and CEO of Confluence Companies. Confluence Companies is behind other Castle Rock projects such as Riverwalk Downtown. "We've tried really hard to keep the authenticity of the town by working with local and small businesses," De Simone said. Now, he's waiting for the final greenlight to break ground on "The Brickyard." The mixed-use development will include a four-star hotel, six new restaurants, which are already under contract, and 500 homes, primarily condos and apartments. The first phase of development is a 145,000-square-foot town recreation center. "Focused on court sports, so basketball, volleyball, pickleball," De Simone said. "It'll have one of the best competitive natatoriums in the state, and fitness facilities, indoor track." "The more pool space around here, the better," said Erin Brill, who is a mom to four young swimmers in Lone Tree. "There's not a lot of open pool space around here, particularly because none of our high schools in Douglas County have pools." Brill has long been asking county leaders for more competitive pool facilities. "Now, we're driving up to [Denver Tech Center] every evening, where we went from 11 lanes of pool space at the Inverness facility to four," Brill explained. "So we're very limited on space. Our high school kids, my boys, will start high school swim next year, and they'll practice till nine or nine-thirty at night halfway across town, because that's the only place they can find pool space." Brill looks forward to the rec center opening, but she wishes the pool was 50 meters. De Simone says the pool is 25 meters by 25 yards, which allows for 11 lanes. There will also be space for up to 200 spectators. "I love that Castle Rock is potentially getting more pool space. It sounds like it should be a place that could hold a moderate-sized swim meet. It's not going to host any sort of regional competition," Brill said. "It's certainly a step in the right direction to give these kids space to practice, to continue offering life-saving skill development that swimming is." The Brickyard project will get its water from the town of Castle Rock, and a traffic study is underway now. De Simone says the project will create a new road connecting the site to Plum Creek Parkway and expand a trail from downtown through the site, all the way to the Miller Activity Complex. "Really appealing to people that want walkabout in the suburbs, be able to walk to restaurants and entertainment venues and walk to downtown Castle Rock," De Simone said. The Brickyard project's zoning and land use has been approved, but Castle Rock Town Council still needs to approve its site development plan. Town council will discuss the proposed rec center's urban renewal authority plan May 20. If Town council approves the site development plan, developers hope to break ground on "The Brickyard" this summer and open the rec center in 2027. The recreation facility and infrastructure will cost about $104.2 million, according to the town of Castle Rock. The town will spend $75 million on the facility using impact fees paid by new development in town, along with sales and lodging taxes that The Brickyard project generates. The remaining cost for infrastructure will be paid by The Brickyard project developer, but it has set up a metro district, which can be a vehicle for homeowners to pay infrastructure costs over time. In a statement the town of Castle Rock shared, "The service plan for the Brickyard Metropolitan District Nos. 1-3 was approved by Town Council at its March 4 meeting. An election was held on May 6 at which the owners of property within the district boundaries approved its organization. The next step is for the District Court to issue an order declaring the districts to be organized."
