The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Six members were present (Mayor Gray, Mayor Pro Tem Cavey, Councilmembers Hollingshead, Davis, Brooks, Dietz); Councilmember Bracken was absent. The meeting included council comments, appointments, unscheduled public appearances, several presentations, a consent calendar, advertised public hearings, and an executive session. Key actions included directing staff to study downtown building heights, approving a grant program allocation, passing first readings of ordinances on adult performances and accessory dwelling units, and awarding salary increases to the Town Manager and Town Attorney.
Council Comments & Direction
Appointments (APPT 2025-004): Appointments to the Public Art Commission, Design Review Board, and Downtown Development Authority Board were approved 6-0.
Presentations
Council Community Grant Program (DIR 2025-022) – Nine applications were considered. After public comment, a motion was made to award $562.50 to each applicant except Green Thumb (which did not have a representative speak). The motion passed 6-0. (Note: The minutes record $562.50 per applicant; the transcript suggests a motion for $500 each. The official minutes are used here.)
Ordinance 2025-022 – Adult Performances and Public Indecency (First Reading): Adds prohibitions on live adult entertainment in public places intended to sexually arouse, including exposure of specific body parts or simulated sexual activities. Public comment from Anya Zavadil argued the wording could target the LGBTQ+ community and was recycled from a 2023 proposal. Councilmember Brooks said it plugs a gap; Councilmember Hollingshead noted it does not ban drag queens but a specific performance type. Approved 6-0.
Ordinance 2025-023 – Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) (First Reading): Streamlines approval by making all ADUs administrative (no public hearing), removes the owner-occupancy deed restriction, clarifies setbacks, and aligns with state law (HB 24-1152). The town has permitted 81 ADUs since 2018; only nine required public hearings. Approved 6-0.
Ordinance 2025-024 – Vacating Right-of-Way at Cantril School (First Reading): Vacates a 20-foot alley running through the Cantril School property (312 Cantril St.) to clean up the plat. Matt Gohl (Assistant Town Manager) also provided an update on improvements at the historic school, including ADA upgrades, new restrooms, electrical service increase from 600 to 1000 amps, and over 1,600 program registrations in 2025. Approved 6-0.
Resolution 2025-073 – Services Agreement with Dewberry Engineers, Inc. for the Plum Creek Diversion Upgrades Project ($470,000 plus 10% contingency). The project aims to increase the existing diversion’s capacity from ~7–8 million gallons per day to the permitted 25.8 MGD. Includes design of a new screen structure and an infiltration gallery, as well as preliminary design for a second diversion near the wastewater plant. Approved 6-0.
Resolution 2025-074 – Services Agreement with W.W. Wheeler & Associates, Inc. for the Platte Valley Water Partnership Water Court Case ($510,000). This partnership with agricultural and municipal providers seeks to appropriate unappropriated South Platte River water. The water court case is scheduled for June 2026; 30–40 opposers are expected, many monitoring to protect existing rights. Approved 6-0.
We gather here today on doing on the intent of doing good work. We seek to represent fairly and well those who have put us to the task. Help us engage in meaningful discussion. Give us clarity and strength. These are our best skills and judgment. Please bless this community, residents, businesses, and visitors, and help us do and help us to continue in doing good work in your name. Amen. Roll call. Councilmember Hollingshead? Here. Councilmember Bracken. Is absent. Councilmember Davis. Here. Councilmember Brooks? Present. Councilmember Deeds? Here. Mayor Potem KV? Yes. Mayor Gray? Here. Thank you. Please rise with pledge allegiance. I don't have too much tonight. I don't know. We um we had a car show over the weekend. It went great. Um great car show as usual and a lot of fun because that's what one of our many family family friendly events we have in Castle Rock. Um this weekend we have and this week we have a lot of things going on. We have concerts, uh gosh, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. So there's tons to do in town, and and when uh and the um we have also had the farmers market on Sunday. So if you're looking for something to do, you don't have to go far. So with that, Councilmember Hollingshead? No comment tonight, thanks. Councilmember Davis. Yes, I have something. Yeah, okay. So when I was running for town council last year, um I knocking on a ton of doors, and uh the biggest thing that people were talking about was the height of our uh buildings here in town. Um so uh most of the people say they love it here. Uh the biggest qu complaint was the high-rise buildings. Uh I know they're all constrained into a certain area of town. Um I know that we can't stay stagnant because we we need the office space, we need the restaurants, and everybody's happy with those, and we need the new housing. Uh but I've been asked multiple times to lower the high the height the requirements of the buildings uh going in. So I'd like to make a motion to change the height requirement in the downtown downtown overlay to four stories instead of six. Second uh any existing buildings, uh future buildings have already been approved, and any uh properties that have already turned in their application will not be changed. Uh I would like to ask the staff to bring something back to us in the next agenda uh to us to the future uh future discussion for this next meeting, maybe the next meeting. So just be clear that's your motion to bring something back to the next agenda next weekend, right? Yes. Okay.