Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - April 18, 2023
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Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - April 18, 2023
The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers and virtually. Mayor Jason Gray presided, with Councilmembers Ryan Hollingshead, Laura Cavey, Desiree LaFleur, Max Brooks, and Tim Dietz present. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken was absent. The meeting included proclamations, public comments, quasi-judicial hearings, and discussions on sign code enforcement, water quality legislation, and a major water treatment expansion. All votes were 6-0 except where noted.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the Consent Calendar by a 6-0 vote, including:
- Resolution 2023-052: Appointing Jeff Brauer as the Town’s representative to the Rueter-Hess Recreation Advisory Board.
- Proclamation 2023-003: Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week (presentation on May 2).
- Proclamation 2023-004: Historic Preservation Month – May 2023 (presentation on May 2).
- Proclamation 2023-005: Building Safety Month – May 2023 (presentation on May 2).
- Minutes from the April 4, 2023 Town Council meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Unscheduled Public Appearances: Two residents, Christopher Stacey and Bryon Wentzlaff, addressed Council about unsafe parking of vehicles and trailers on public streets for extended periods. They requested amendments to the Municipal Code to clarify restrictions, particularly near schools. Council referred the issue to staff for review.
- Quasi-Judicial Hearings: No public comments were received on the Avilla at Founders Village site development plan or the Wellspring Community Annexation eligibility hearing.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation: Arbor Day 2023 – Mayor Gray read the proclamation, noting Castle Rock’s recognition as a Tree City USA.
- Town Manager’s Report: Dave Corliss updated Council on monitoring Senate Bill 213 (single-family zoning preemption) and a draft letter opposing state preemption of local authority over psilocybin establishments. Council voted 6-0 to endorse the intent of the letter.
- Avilla at Founders Village (Quasi-Judicial): A proposal for 105 single-story, for-rent homes on 9.3 acres near Mesa Middle School. The applicant (NexMetro Communities) described the “missing middle” housing option. Councilmember Brooks recused himself. Council approved the resolution 4-1, with Councilmember Cavey voting no, citing concerns about traffic and parking.
- Wellspring Community Annexation Eligibility (Quasi-Judicial): Staff confirmed the 498 E. Wolfensberger Road parcel meets state eligibility criteria. Council unanimously approved the resolution (6-0), clearing the way for future annexation hearings.
- Sign Code Amendment and Weekend Enforcement: Director Tara Vargish presented an update on the sign code (Title 19) and discussed enforcement of sign restrictions in the right-of-way. Council debated options, with some members favoring increased enforcement and others cautioning against overreach. Council directed staff to increase enforcement to include weekends after a community engagement period of no less than three weeks. The motion passed 5-1, with Mayor Gray opposed.
- Senate Bill 23-267 (Informational): Mark Marlowe, Director of Castle Rock Water, explained the bill to impose a $1/day entrance fee at Chatfield State Park for five years to fund water quality improvements. Council expressed support for the bill.
- Plum Creek Water Purification Facility Expansion: Marlowe presented a resolution to approve a $2.38 million design consultant agreement with Burns & McDonnell to double the facility's capacity to 12 million gallons per day by 2026. The project also includes long-lead equipment procurement and a guaranteed maximum price contract. Council unanimously approved Resolution 2023-055 (6-0).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved 6-0.
- Psilocybin Letter Endorsement: Approved 6-0.
- Avilla at Founders Village (Resolution 2023-053): Approved 4-1 (Cavey dissenting; Brooks recused; Bracken absent).
- Wellspring Annexation Eligibility (Resolution 2023-054): Approved 6-0.
- Sign Code Weekend Enforcement: Approved 5-1 (Gray dissenting; Bracken absent).
- Plum Creek Expansion Design Agreement (Resolution 2023-055): Approved 6-0.
- Next Steps: Staff will investigate parking code amendments, begin weekend sign enforcement after a community outreach period, and proceed with the water facility design. The Town will continue to monitor state legislation including SB 213, SB 267, and HB 23-1282.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, whether in person or online. Let's start with the invocation. Heavenly Father, we ask your guidance, your wisdom, and your support. We begin this meeting. Please gather here today. Sorry, we gather here today too with the intent to do good work. We see to represent fairly and to those fairly and well for those who have been given a task and help us engage in meaningful discussion and give us clarity and strength to use and our best skills and judgment. Please bless this community, residents, businesses, and visitors, and help us continue doing good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollington. Here. Councilmember Kavey. Yes. Councilmember LaFleur here. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Dietz. Here. Mayor Pro Tembracken. And Mayor Gray. Here. Thank you. Please join me in Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge to the flag. One nation. I'll start with council comments and then we'll uh after council comments, I'll be the Arbor Day uh pledge or proclamation. Um first I want to congratulate my wife on a great uh Boston Marathon yesterday. Um it was fantastic. She qualified back last year and qualified again for Boston next year, yesterday. Um I thank everybody. Um there's been a lot of heartfelt messages in my in my emails, um, tons and tons of letters and uh just warm wishes uh for my family um and my on my mom's passing. I do appreciate that very much. Next up, Brian Tullinghead. No comment tonight, thanks. Barbara Cavey. Uh yes, um, not necessarily a comment, but a request of staff. Um having some conversations with some folks in the community around our cattle drive and would like to see what it would take to add in um the Native American Indians as well as the um uh Buffalo soldiers to that event. I think it would add a lot of diversity, it would add um maybe bring in more interest from outside the community. Um and instead of just being kind of the same thing every year, we would be adding to it. So I'd like to make the request that we look into adding that to the cattle drive. Do we need a motion or just the do I need a motion? I think what what we do is take Councilmember Kavey's um inquiry, let's find out about it, and then we'll we'll advise you as to whether or not we think we need any kind of council action. Don't know if there'll be a cost or or programming, but let's find out about it. I'll talk with Jeff. Jeff will work with Jennifer Reinhardt and let's just find out if we can we can do that. I think it's a great suggestion personally. So let's just find out if we can do it, and then we'll we'll we'll advise you accordingly, if that's all right. Okay, so thank you.
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