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Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - October 7, 2025: Budget Approvals, Development Plans, and Traffic Safety Actions

Town Council — Tuesday, October 7, 2025
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, October 7, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:46:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Good evening.

0:09

We'll open with the invitation.

0:11

Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance, wisdom, and support as we give begin this meeting.

0:17

We gather here today intent on doing good work.

0:20

We seek to represent fairly and well those who have given us this task.

0:24

Help us engage in meaningful discussion, give us clarity and strength.

0:27

We use our best judgment and skills.

0:29

Bless this community, it's residents, businesses, and visitors, and help us do in good work in your name.

0:35

Amen.

0:36

Roll call, please.

0:40

Councilmember Hollington.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Councilmember Bracken.

0:44

Present.

0:44

Councilmember Davis.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Councilmember Brooks.

0:47

Present.

0:48

Councilmember Deeds.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Mayor Pro Tem Kavey.

0:51

Yes.

0:52

And Mayor Gray.

0:53

Here.

0:53

Thank you.

0:54

Thank you.

0:55

Please rise.

1:02

America.

1:10

Liberty and Justice are all first.

1:19

I want to thank everybody for showing up, whether it's online or in person.

1:22

Thanks for being here.

1:24

A few things I wanted to uh talk about real fast is one is it's uh breast cancer awareness month, and uh you know there are a lot of people out there fighting breast cancer who have fought breast cancer who have uh either succumbed to it or or gotten through it.

1:40

Um and uh I think it's something that we should we as with any cancer of course, but um with breast cancer, there's a lot of awareness for it, especially during this month.

1:49

Another one thing I wanted to talk about was you know, I uh recently lost a cousin, and uh you know, and I even though we we weren't as close as the last you know was we were growing up, um it's it's still hard to lose a family member.

2:05

And so I just want to talk you know reach out to people and just say you know whether it's distance or time or whatever, you know, try to reach out to those you've lost contact with.

2:16

Uh try to reach out to those that uh whether they're family members or loved ones, uh best friend that you've lost contact with or something like that.

2:24

Uh try to reconnect uh because you never know when when uh you might lose them, they're never gonna know when they're gonna need it.

2:31

Um is uh one thing I've been talking about doing is is every every meeting pretty much going over a different different department.

2:39

Um this one I wanted to go over was development services.

2:41

Uh first I wanted to highlight uh what a great job they did just this past weekend, uh this past weekend.

2:47

There was a uh a fire back in February of this year where we lost the resident to this fire over on uh 705 4th Street Lewis.

2:56

Um and uh and ever since then uh the the person who survived wasn't there, she was in therapy at the time, um has struggled on how to clean this up.

3:07

Um it's it's uh it's a mess and and it's been hard, and neighbors are are are trying to figure out what to do, and then she's trying to figure out what to do.

3:15

Um and development services, a long uh I would say mostly not mostly, but a lot lot of a lot of hard work by Tammy King and others.

3:23

Um got this done, uh, whether and it was all different departments of development services.

3:28

There was several people several residents in the area who helped out, the church uh helped out.

3:32

They had several um dumpsters taken care of out there.

3:36

It was great at work.

3:36

It was one and it's also uh one of the ways that development services helps our town.

3:40

You know, whether it's the you know the front counter or zoning or planning or development review, I think that our development services do it does a really great job.

3:50

I think sometimes we what we forget once in a while I'll have a resident come to me and say, gosh, it looks like you know town council, you know uh says yes to everything.

4:00

I'm like, well, that's because the hundred things that that don't get to us is going through development services and planning and and uh public works and water and stuff, and there's so much that doesn't get to us because they do such a great job of vetting and making sure that that in order for it to get to us, it has to go through an amazing job through uh development services just to get to us.

4:23

That's why we usually only see really good projects.

4:26

Um I think that that's that's a testament to our town.

4:29

And with that, Councilmember Hollins head.

4:32

No comment tonight, thanks.

4:34

Councilmember Bracken.

4:35

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

4:36

I actually had a um meeting uh last week with development services about our about a project.

4:42

So they do vet them out as as they become available and and check with the the folks in the district uh needed.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use████████████████16%
Traffic Management███████████████15%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Safety██████6%
Trail Management██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Public Engagement█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - October 7, 2025

On October 7, 2025, the Castle Rock Town Council held a lengthy meeting covering a wide range of topics including budget approvals for fiscal year 2026, development plans for the Brickyard mixed-use and Bella Mesa North residential projects, an art acquisition agreement, and a speed limit reduction on Crystal Valley Parkway. All votes were unanimous (7-0) unless otherwise noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved a temporary certificate of occupancy for Unity on Wolfensberger (Wellspring Community).
  • Approved a construction contract with Sabell’s Civil and Landscape for Lost Canyon Ranch roadway and parking improvements.
  • Approved a first amendment to the Parker Water and Sanitation District wheeling agreement.
  • Approved a second amendment to the Muller Engineering contract for McMurdo Gulch stream reclamation.
  • Approved a services agreement with Consor North America for Castlewood 1 Lift Station upgrade design.
  • Approved a variance for nighttime water system maintenance work related to the Crowfoot Valley Road widening project.
  • Approved the September 16, 2025 Town Council meeting minutes.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Lin Miklas (resident and business owner) spoke about youth behavioral health, requesting $5,000 in funding to train 20 pediatric primary care practitioners in Castle Rock to screen for anxiety, depression, and ADHD. She cited a childhood depression rate of nearly 15% and her goal to prevent suicides.
  • Susan McAfee (resident of Crystal Valley) supported reducing the speed limit on Crystal Valley Parkway, stating that drivers frequently exceed the current 45 mph limit, creating dangerous conditions for turning vehicles and pedestrians.
  • Ann Midgley (Encore resident) objected to the Festival Park Commons GID mill levy, arguing that 120 Encore residents unfairly fund a parking garage used by the public. She requested a more equitable distribution of costs and noted the mill levy was not disclosed at closing. Town Manager Dave Corliss responded that the levy is contractually tied to certificate of participation debt and that the town's Downtown Development Authority already pays for maintenance.
  • Norman Smith (resident) expressed parking concerns for the Brickyard development, estimating the site could be 1,000 spaces short.
  • Nancy Grisham, Kjersti Paladino, Jay Jensen, Collin Lutz, Nancy Mitchell, Troy Parmley (residents of Castlewood Ranch, Franktown, and Castle Rock) raised concerns about the Bella Mesa North development, including wildfire risk, traffic, blasting impacts, trail encroachment on privacy, view corridors, wildlife (eagles, rattlesnakes), and drainage. They cited a petition with 822 signatures opposing the development.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation: Fire Prevention Week October 5–11, 2025, was proclaimed with Sparky the mascot.
  • Council Comments: Councilmember Dietz successfully moved to reduce the speed limit on Crystal Valley Parkway from Lake Gulch to the roundabout to 35 mph. Dan Sailer (Public Works) noted that signage alone may not change behavior, but the motion passed 7-0 with a directive to monitor traffic data.
  • Town Manager's Report: Jon Danchik was introduced as an ICMA Veterans Local Government Management Fellow serving a three-month assignment. Calendar reminders were given, including the Board and Commission Appreciation Event (Oct 20), Sports Complex Groundbreaking (Oct 28), and other events.
  • Second Quarter Financial Review: Revenues remain strong, expenditures below budget. The town is in good fiscal shape.
  • Quasi-Judicial Projects Update: A new formal application for Dawson Trails major PD amendment (2.2 acres annexed) was noted. Multiple pre-application proposals were reviewed, including self-storage, fire station, trail, Chick-fil-A improvements, pet cremation, trailer sales, used car dealership, private parking, and a KinderCare facility.
  • Town Attorney's Report: Mike Hyman presented the proposed adoption of the 2024 Model Traffic Code and local amendments, which would regulate e-scooters, cell phone use, roundabout right-of-way, and parking at EV charging stations. A draft ordinance will be introduced at the next meeting. Councilmember Brooks suggested adding a provision to immediately impound vehicles driven without registration, license, or insurance (modeled on Aurora's code); consensus was to include it.
  • Castle Rock Urban Renewal Authority Board: Approved June 3, 2025 minutes and the FY 2026 budget ($561,705) with a property tax increment increase due to a new project.
  • Festival Park Commons General Improvement District Board: Approved October 15, 2024 minutes, FY 2026 budget, and property tax levy (45 mills) for 2025 collection in 2026.
  • Brickyard Mixed-Use Development: Site development plan approved (21.14 acres, 384 multifamily units, 123-room hotel, 260,000 sq ft retail/office/entertainment). A right-of-way vacation for 0.4 acres of Prairie Hawk Drive will be considered on October 21.
  • Bella Mesa North Residential Development: Site development plan approved (293.21 acres, 525 single-family homes) with a condition that no blasting be done on the homes highlighted on the map (closest to Castlewood Ranch). The council also asked staff to explore renaming Praxis Street to reflect the site's history.
  • Art Acquisition Agreement: Approved the "Big Drive" sculpture series by DKLA Design for Rock Park open space (two cows and a calf, total cost $210,000, with $100,000 to be fundraised by the Castle Rock Art and Culture Foundation). Installation targeted for June 2026.
  • FY 2026 Budget and Ordinances:
    • Adopted FY 2026 operating budget (first reading) with a balanced budget emphasizing public safety (adding 3 fire and 4 police positions), roads, open space preservation, parks, and community character.
    • Approved water and wastewater rate changes (average increase 4.5–4.69% for residential customers) and system development fee increase of 9.03% to fund capital projects (e.g., Plum Creek Water Purification Facility, WISE desalination).
    • Levied general property taxes at 0.92 mills (approx. $37.50 per average home) – a 46% reduction since 2006.
    • Approved the 2026–2030 Balanced Financial Plan and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program ($19 million for pavement maintenance in 2026).
    • Levied property taxes for the Downtown Development Authority at 3 mills and approved the DDA FY 2026 budget.

Key Outcomes

  • Speed Limit Reduction: Crystal Valley Parkway reduced to 35 mph (7-0).
  • Brickyard SDP: Approved (7-0).
  • Bella Mesa North SDP: Approved with condition of no blasting on specified homes (7-0).
  • Big Drive Sculpture Series: Approved (7-0).
  • FY 2026 Budget (all related ordinances and resolutions): Approved on first reading (7-0). Final adoption expected at a later meeting.
  • Water and Wastewater Rate/Fee Increases: Approved on first reading (7-0).
  • Property Tax Levies (Town, FPC GID, DDA): Approved (7-0).
  • Model Traffic Code Update: Direction given to include impoundment provision; ordinance to be presented at next meeting.
  • Meeting Adjourned at 10:46 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. We'll open with the invitation. Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance, wisdom, and support as we give begin this meeting. We gather here today intent on doing good work. We seek to represent fairly and well those who have given us this task. Help us engage in meaningful discussion, give us clarity and strength. We use our best judgment and skills. Bless this community, it's residents, businesses, and visitors, and help us do in good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollington. Here. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Davis. Here. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Kavey. Yes. And Mayor Gray. Here. Thank you. Thank you. Please rise. America. Liberty and Justice are all first. I want to thank everybody for showing up, whether it's online or in person. Thanks for being here. A few things I wanted to uh talk about real fast is one is it's uh breast cancer awareness month, and uh you know there are a lot of people out there fighting breast cancer who have fought breast cancer who have uh either succumbed to it or or gotten through it. Um and uh I think it's something that we should we as with any cancer of course, but um with breast cancer, there's a lot of awareness for it, especially during this month. Another one thing I wanted to talk about was you know, I uh recently lost a cousin, and uh you know, and I even though we we weren't as close as the last you know was we were growing up, um it's it's still hard to lose a family member. And so I just want to talk you know reach out to people and just say you know whether it's distance or time or whatever, you know, try to reach out to those you've lost contact with. Uh try to reach out to those that uh whether they're family members or loved ones, uh best friend that you've lost contact with or something like that. Uh try to reconnect uh because you never know when when uh you might lose them, they're never gonna know when they're gonna need it. Um is uh one thing I've been talking about doing is is every every meeting pretty much going over a different different department. Um this one I wanted to go over was development services. Uh first I wanted to highlight uh what a great job they did just this past weekend, uh this past weekend. There was a uh a fire back in February of this year where we lost the resident to this fire over on uh 705 4th Street Lewis. Um and uh and ever since then uh the the person who survived wasn't there, she was in therapy at the time, um has struggled on how to clean this up. Um it's it's uh it's a mess and and it's been hard, and neighbors are are are trying to figure out what to do, and then she's trying to figure out what to do. Um and development services, a long uh I would say mostly not mostly, but a lot lot of a lot of hard work by Tammy King and others. Um got this done, uh, whether and it was all different departments of development services. There was several people several residents in the area who helped out, the church uh helped out. They had several um dumpsters taken care of out there. It was great at work. It was one and it's also uh one of the ways that development services helps our town. You know, whether it's the you know the front counter or zoning or planning or development review, I think that our development services do it does a really great job.

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