Castle Rock Town Council Meeting – January 3, 2023

The Castle Rock Town Council met at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, in a hybrid/connected meeting held at Town Hall Council Chambers, 100 North Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO. All seven councilmembers were present: Mayor Jason Gray, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken, and Councilmembers Ryan Hollingshead, Laura Cavey, Desiree LaFleur, Max Brooks, and Tim Dietz. The meeting opened with an invocation by Jack Serr, council comments, and the town manager's report. Council accepted the agenda, approved the consent calendar, directed staff on the Crowfoot Valley Road widening design, and continued three Canyons Far South quasi-judicial public hearings to February 21, 2023.

Consent Calendar

• ORD 2022-032: Agricultural Lease Agreement between the Town of Castle Rock and Sublette, Inc. (Weld County, Colorado) — second reading; previously approved on first reading December 20, 2022 by a 7-0 vote.
• MIN 2023-002: Minutes of the December 20, 2022 Town Council meeting.
• The consent calendar was approved by a 7-0 vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Michael Forte, a Castle Rock resident, said he had a disagreement with the Castle Rock Police Department regarding alleged false police reports from July 2021, which he said were now appearing in background checks and depriving him of civil rights. He provided a documentation packet to Council and said he would continue up the chain of command.
• Caryn Johnson, a resident participating by phone, said she attended meetings on the Crowfoot Valley Road widening and questioned why staff mentioned a possible Castle Pines connection road; in her view, a two-lane connection would not relieve much traffic.
• Because the Canyons Far South hearings were continued, no public comment was taken on those items.

Council Comments and Town Manager's Report

• Mayor Gray thanked Castle Rock hospital and Brookside staff for their care of his mother after a spinal injury.
• Councilmembers offered new year wishes; Councilmember Brooks encouraged residents to apply for boards and commissions, noting openings would occur in May.
• Town Manager David Corliss gave calendar reminders: upcoming police swearing-in/awards, a development services boards/commissions appreciation dinner, a fire department awards ceremony, and neighborhood meetings.
• Corliss said the 2023 community survey would be conducted every other year. Council would be briefed in February on proposed questions, all citizens could participate, and results would be available in the spring to inform goal-setting and priorities.

Discussion Items

Liaison Designations to Town Boards, Commissions, and Other Agencies

Council reached consensus on primary and alternate liaison designations, including:

• Board of Adjustment (Dietz/Hollingshead); Board of Building Appeals (Hollingshead/Dietz); Castle Rock Water (Gray/Cavey); Design Review Board (LaFleur/Brooks); Downtown Development Authority (Bracken/Brooks); Election Commission (Dietz); Historic Preservation (LaFleur/Hollingshead); Parks and Recreation (Dietz/Hollingshead); Planning Commission (Gray/Cavey); Public Art Commission (Dietz/Hollingshead); Public Safety Commission (Cavey/Hollingshead); Public Works Commission (Hollingshead/Dietz); Audit (Gray/Bracken); Police Forfeiture (Gray); Water Resources (Bracken and LaFleur, a board requiring two council liaisons); Economic Development Board (Gray/LaFleur); Castle Rock Partnership (Gray/Bracken); Volunteer Pension Board (Gray); Chamber of Commerce (Bracken/LaFleur); Downtown Merchants Association (LaFleur/Brooks); Centennial Airport Noise Roundtable (Cavey and staff liaison Vossler); Chatfield Watershed Authority (Cavey/Gray); Cherry Creek Water Basin Quality Authority (Brooks/LaFleur); Colorado Municipal League (Dietz and staff liaison Read); Denver Regional Council of Governments (Dietz/Gray); Douglas County Community Foundation (Gray); Douglas County Homeless Initiative (Gray/Brooks); Douglas County Housing Partnership (Brooks/Dietz); Douglas County Youth Initiative (Dietz/Hollingshead); Partnership of Douglas County Government (Gray/Cavey).

Crowfoot Valley Road Widening Project Concept

• Public Works Director Dan Sailer presented the proposed concept for widening Crowfoot Valley Road from the earlier Founders Parkway intersection work to the McCanta Boulevard area. The project is on the five-year Capital Improvement Plan, with anticipated cost sharing with Douglas County but no formal intergovernmental agreement yet.
• Sailer said the town previously evaluated a roundabout, but the public did not support it; the only currently warranted signal is at Sapphire Point. At an October 2022 open house, staff recommended wider/taller raised medians instead of left-turn acceleration lanes. The public supported the medians but did not support removing the left-turn acceleration lanes.
• Staff recommendation: install wider/taller raised medians where possible, retain left-turn acceleration lanes at non-signalized intersections, and add a traffic signal at Sapphire Point.
• Sailer said speed limits had already been lowered from 45 mph to 40 mph toward the northeast and 35 mph near Founders Parkway after an engineering evaluation. Staff did not recommend further reductions or additional signage, citing Federal Highway Administration guidance on uniform traffic flow and sign effectiveness.
• The police chief said photo radar/automated enforcement was reviewed but was not consistent with the department's policing philosophy and could be seen as government overreach; state law also prohibits fines because Crowfoot Valley Road is not a residential street.
• Sailer said traffic counts are reviewed annually and townwide traffic volumes have increased about 2-3 percent per year over the last five years. Town Manager Corliss said Castle Pines representatives indicated a future connection road from the Canyons development to Crowfoot Valley is not currently planned and is likely 5-10+ years away.
• Councilmember Cavey said the original design included left-turn lanes and that 100% of feedback she received at the October open house opposed the revised design; she supported the district's preference. Councilmember Brooks asked about acceleration lane standards and roundabouts; Mayor Gray spoke in favor of the motion and emphasized continued evaluation.

Key Outcomes

• Accepted the agenda as presented by a 7-0 vote.
• Approved the consent calendar by a 7-0 vote.
• Directed staff to continue design development for the Crowfoot Valley Road widening project as recommended; the motion passed 7-0.
• Continued Ordinance Nos. 2023-001 (Canyons Far South Annexation), 2023-002 (Initial Zoning), and 2023-003 (Development Agreement and Purchase Option Agreement with Vesting) to the February 21, 2023 Town Council meeting at 6:00 p.m.; the motion passed 7-0.
• Staff said the Canyons Far South continuance was needed to work through additional Colorado Department of Transportation referral comments because the primary access is off Founders Parkway, a CDOT road.
• Meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.

Record Discrepancies

• The agenda and ordinance captions state the Canyons Far South parcel is 409.008 acres, while the minutes quote staff describing it as 490 acres; the transcript says 409 acres.
• For the Crowfoot Valley Road motion, the minutes record Councilmember Cavey as the mover and Councilmember LaFleur as the second, while the transcript records LaFleur as the mover and Cavey as the second. For agenda approval, the minutes record Cavey moving and LaFleur seconding, while the transcript appears to record LaFleur moving and Dietz seconding. Both votes were unanimous.