Castle Rock Town Council Meeting Summary – February 7, 2023

The Castle Rock Town Council met in hybrid format on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall Council Chambers (100 North Wilcox Street) and adjourning at 9:16 p.m. Mayor Jason Gray presided with Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken and Councilmembers Hollingshead, Cavey, LaFleur, Brooks, and Dietz present; Councilmember Brooks attended remotely. The meeting included council comments, one appointment, a consent calendar, manager reports, and action on traffic calming, parking permits, the 2023 community survey, alcohol tasting rules, and three water-related resolutions. No public comment was offered during unscheduled public appearances or advertised hearings.

Council Comments and Appointment

• Mayor Gray shared personal remarks about his mother's health and encouraged a council style grounded in love, compassion, self-reflection, and forgiveness.
• Councilmember Hollingshead said the Rock Church property is not zoned residential and that this Council does not intend to support a homeless shelter in that residential neighborhood; he urged residents to verify information rather than rely on social media.
• Councilmember Dietz proposed requiring two parking spaces per multifamily unit for future developments. After discussion, the Council asked staff to prepare a report on multifamily parking requirements and to include parking issues in the Meadows Town Center by contacting Castle Rock Development Company. The minutes record the motion as failing with a 7-0 yes list, while the transcript reflects unanimous direction; see the record discrepancies note below.
• The Council unanimously appointed Angie Brown to the Castle Rock Water Commission for a partial term ending May 31, 2023.

Town Manager's Report

• Calendar reminders included the annual Fire and Rescue awards banquet, the President's Day holiday, a March 23 pavement maintenance program open house, and neighborhood meetings for developments such as Dawson Trails and Costco.
• Castle Rock Water Director Mark Marlowe updated Council on the new water billing system, live January 16, 2023. All 16,000 previous online portal customers must create a new account and a new autopay enrollment; account numbers should be entered without leading zeros. About 2,000 phone calls had been received, more than one-third of eligible customers had converted, and the first billing cycle was completed.
• Development Services Director Tara Vargish reported on pre-applications including BAM Broadband fiber, a 13-acre Liberty Village annexation/commercial proposal, Core Electric undergrounding, Costco at Dawson Trails (about 20 acres, 160,000 square feet with fueling and car wash), Meadows 19 sewer work, McDonald's in Founders Marketplace, and various other projects. She also listed new quasi-judicial applications, including Crowfoot Valley Road right-of-way annexation (~4.4 acres) and the Crystal Valley mixed-use site plan (24 townhomes and about 7,000 square feet of commercial space).

Consent Calendar

• RES 2023-010 (2023 Spot Water Lease Agreement with Bow Mar Owners, Inc. and Bow Mar South, Inc.) and MIN 2023-004 (January 17, 2023 minutes) were approved together unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during unscheduled public appearances or on the advertised hearing items.

Discussion Items

• Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Amendments (DIR 2023-004): Staff recommended expanding the program to residential collector streets without fronting driveways, with Town Council making the final decision on collectors, and adding a private funding option for neighborhoods that do not meet the criteria. Public Works Commission supported the changes unanimously. Criteria remain 500 vehicles per day and 5 mph over the posted speed. The current fund has $25,000; in-house speed humps cost about $6,000–$10,000 in materials, about double if contracted. Council noted funding competes with pavement, pothole, and snow plow work. Motion to implement passed 7-0.
• Knobcone Drive Traffic Calming Request (DIR 2023-005): Staff and Public Works Commission recommended denial of two speed humps requested by the Timber Canyon HOA. Knobcone has about 250 vehicles per day versus the 500 threshold; the 85th percentile speed was 19.5 mph versus the 20 mph threshold; site lines were within standards; and signage improvements had been made. Two contractor-installed speed humps would cost roughly $25,000–$35,000. Councilmember Cavey suggested one hump, but Council voted unanimously to deny the request 7-0.
• Parking Permit Program (DIR 2023-006): Staff surveyed 20 Front Range jurisdictions and recommended a citizen-initiated, neighborhood-driven program with supermajority support, defined areas to avoid spillover, and focus near schools, parks, and high-density generators. Public Works Commission recommended fees, renewals, periodic review, and fines; fees discussed were $25–$50 annually. Enforcement would likely be complaint-based. Council debated whether residents should pay, how it interacts with school parking, and whether it is an appropriate tool. Motion to direct staff to develop a program passed 6-1, with Councilmember Cavey voting no.
• 2023 Community Survey (DIR 2023-007): Assistant Town Manager Kristin Read and Common Gauge reviewed draft resident and business surveys. Because the survey takes more than 30 minutes, residents will be invited in three waves; the first 500 households completing all segments receive an incentive. Housing affordability questions were discussed at length; Council agreed to reword/limit those questions, including changing “partner with” to “encourage” and dropping detailed multifamily-in-my-neighborhood questions. A public safety funding open-ended question was retained. An internet provider question was removed because internet service is not a town service. Motion to proceed with the survey as discussed passed 6-1, with Councilmember Cavey voting no.
• Tasting Licenses (DIR 2023-008): The Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance allowing fermented malt beverage and wine retailer licensees to conduct tastings, while retaining existing Town Code tasting rules except allowing licensees to save open bottles for future tastings. Current Town Code permits 104 tastings per year versus 156 under state law. The motion passed 7-0.

Resolutions

• RES 2023-011 – Wastewater Master Plan Update: Castle Rock Water presented the updated 2022 plan, including a new sustainability principle, system rehabilitation needs, and concerns about proposed state lake nutrient standards. Staff estimated meeting the proposed nitrogen standard could require roughly $200 million in capital, over $7 million in annual operating costs, and approximately a tripling of wastewater rates. The resolution approving the plan update passed 7-0.
• RES 2023-012 – AECOM Service Agreement Amendment: The Council approved the first amendment to the Craig & Gould North Infrastructure Improvements agreement with AECOM, extending the engineer through project completion at no additional cost. Construction is about 90% complete on roads and sidewalks and expected to finish in June 2023. Minutes record the motion as failing with a 7-0 yes list, while the transcript reflects a unanimous pass; see discrepancies note below. Approved 7-0.
• RES 2023-013 – Deer Creek Tributary Water Rights Purchase: The Council approved a purchase and sale agreement with TDK Holdings, LLC for senior (~1860s vintage) renewable water rights along Deer Creek that flow into Chatfield Reservoir. Price is $45,000 per acre-foot, total $2.7 million, with $100,000 earnest money and a 60-day closing timeline. The Water Commission supported the purchase. Approved 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Appointed Angie Brown to the Castle Rock Water Commission (7-0).
• Directed staff to implement the neighborhood traffic calming amendments (7-0).
• Denied the Knobcone Drive speed hump request (7-0).
• Directed staff to develop a parking permit program (6-1; Cavey no).
• Directed staff to proceed with the 2023 community survey as revised (6-1; Cavey no).
• Directed staff to prepare a tasting ordinance for fermented malt beverage and wine retailer licenses (7-0).
• Approved RES 2023-011, RES 2023-012, and RES 2023-013 (7-0 each).
• Approved the consent calendar and accepted the agenda (7-0).
• Adjourned at 9:16 p.m.

Minutes/Transcript Discrepancies

• The official minutes record the multifamily parking direction and RES 2023-012 as failing while simultaneously listing unanimous 7-0 yes votes; the transcript shows both as passing. The final resolution of those votes is therefore ambiguous in the record.
• The appointment roll call in the transcript records six affirmative votes, while the official minutes list seven yes votes, including Councilmember Brooks.