OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - August 18, 2026

Town Council — Tuesday, August 18, 2026
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, August 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:31:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:39

Good evening.

0:40

Uh first want to thank everybody for being here, whether it's online or in person.

0:44

Um then we'll open with the invitation.

0:47

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

0:51

We gather here today and intent on doing good work.

0:54

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

0:57

Help us engage in meaningful discussion, give us clarity and strength to use our best skills and judgment.

1:02

Bless this community, its residents, as businesses, and its visitors.

1:06

Help us to continue to do good work in your name.

1:10

Amen.

1:11

Roll call, please.

1:14

Councilmember Hollingshead.

1:15

Here.

1:16

Councilmember Bracken.

1:17

Present.

1:17

Councilmember Davis.

1:18

Here.

1:18

Councilmember Brexit?

1:19

Present.

1:20

Councilmember Deeds.

1:21

Here.

1:21

Mayor Pro Tem KV?

1:23

Yes.

1:23

Mayor Gray.

1:24

Here.

1:24

Holler present.

1:25

Please rise to request evidence.

1:39

Liberty.

1:51

I'll go ahead and start with council comments.

1:54

Um we're heading to the end of in end of the summer here.

1:58

School has already started and and uh everyone's back getting back in the school, so that's always exciting.

2:04

Um we had a last first Friday not too long ago.

2:07

We had have a one or two more concerts left, so that's fantastic.

2:11

Um and uh and and rains in the forecast.

2:15

So I'm really hoping that uh that we we can we can we can get some good rain.

2:20

And um and it's been a while since you've seen everybody, so welcome back.

2:24

Councilmember Holland's head.

2:26

Yeah, thanks, Mayor.

2:27

Um first of all, I just you know, we're we're gonna have a lot of public comment tonight, um, which is a good thing, let's have an engagement.

2:33

And I just want to recognize that you know this this council does a lot of good work and is is very committed uh to this community um with with generally good intentions.

2:41

Um so uh you know I I I unfortunately sometimes we'll you know we're gonna hear some things that that may seem you know unethical or unprofessional and um unfortunately a lot of us get accused of those kind of things on a regular basis and we don't do any of those things.

2:55

We're just local people doing you know, serving our communities and doing our best and and doing good work.

3:00

Um so I unfortunately we we're in the situation we are tonight.

3:04

Um but it you know it it is what it is at this point, but I just want you to know that that the people that I work with up here um generally are are trying to do the right things all the time and and that they're um you know doing the best for the the town.

3:17

So that's all I have for at this time.

3:19

Thank you, Councilmember Holland said Councilmember um Bracken.

3:23

Thank you, Mayor.

3:23

No comments tonight.

3:25

Councilmember Davis?

3:26

Yeah, I want to give some kudos to Dan Saylor and the uh the public works department.

3:31

Uh there's a lot of work going around in this town, a lot of new streets and things like that.

3:35

And uh just want to say that uh that's probably the smoothest road I've ridden on a lot better than four uh C470, that's for sure.

3:43

Uh just want to thank all the guys and and pretty much the whole the whole town for being really good about uh going around them.

3:50

Uh that it's a lot of hard work, some of it's nights, but um I think it was Santa Fe, Blackfeather, Crowfoot, I think it's uh a couple of other ones, Fifth Street, all that stuff.

4:01

Just want to say kudos, you guys.

4:02

You guys are phenomenal job.

4:04

Thank you.

4:04

Thank you.

4:05

Councilmember Brooks.

4:07

A couple of things.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use████████████████████████████████████36%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Education████████8%
Community Engagement██████6%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Education Land Use████4%
Pending Litigation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - August 18, 2026

The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including the proposed removal of the Design Review Board (DRB), a censure motion against Councilmember Mark Davis, annexation and zoning of town-owned parcels, approval of a King Soopers grocery store and fueling station, amendments to the Castle Meadows Metropolitan District service plan, an ordinance regarding school land designations, a public nuisance ordinance, zoning code amendments, and an update on the Comprehensive Master Plan 2040. Several votes were taken, and public testimony was heard on multiple issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 7–11 were approved unanimously: Resolution 2026-089 (first amendment to services agreement with Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture for the Sports Development Center); Resolution 2026-090 (third amendment to IGA with Douglas County for Highway 85 wastewater system); Resolution 2026-091 (third amendment with W.W. Wheeler for Reservoir Nos. 1 and 2); Resolution 2026-092 (Purchase and Sale Agreement with Findlay Family Properties for Plum Creek to Rueter-Hess Pipeline); and Minutes from July 21, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Miles (resident and business owner): Presented text messages allegedly from Councilmember Mark Davis offering to drop the Design Review Board (DRB) and help with building approvals and town alleyways in exchange for pulling a recall effort. He called for Councilmember Davis's resignation, an independent investigation, and a Colorado Open Records Act request for relevant communications.
  • Amy Winshu (resident): Criticized the DRB's lack of meetings (only 1 in 2026, 3 in 2025, 5 in 2024) and delayed minutes, and questioned the board's composition and connection to elected officials.
  • Aaron Kane (Superintendent, Douglas County School District): Highlighted the district's record graduation rate, top metro-area scores, and lower staff turnover; expressed commitment to partnering with the town on growth, infrastructure, and school safety.
  • Harry Young (resident): Expressed support for Councilmember Davis, arguing the recall is an attack on democratic process; urged council to prioritize moderate growth and infrastructure capacity over high-density development downtown.

Discussion Items

  • Motion to Remove DRB Discussion from Agenda: Councilmember Brooks moved to postpone item 17 (discussion on removing the Design Review Board and reallocating responsibilities) to after the election, citing the need for more community input. After debate, the motion passed 6–1 (Bracken dissenting).
  • Censure Motion Against Councilmember Davis: Councilmember Hollingshead moved to censure Davis for unethical behavior related to text messages described in public comments. Councilmember Brooks argued for due process, stating he had just seen the messages. The first roll call vote was 3–4 against (Hollingshead, Bracken, Gray in favor; Davis, Brooks, Deeds, Cavey opposed). The town attorney noted Davis could recuse, and on a revote with Davis recusing, the vote tied 3–3 (Hollingshead, Bracken, Gray in favor; Brooks, Deeds, Cavey opposed), so the motion failed.
  • Annexation and Initial Zoning of Town-Owned Parcels (Items 12 & 13): Staff presented the annexation and rezoning to Public Land District 1 for four groups of parcels totaling 16.12 acres (Home Street, Maher Ranch tank site, Founders Corner, Terrain Remnant). Both ordinances passed unanimously.
  • King Soopers Grocery Store and Fueling Station (Item 14): Applicant presented a 12.1-acre site in Dawson Trails Planning Area E2, including enhanced west-side landscaping, parking reduction of 19.5% (to ~4 spaces per 1,000 sq ft), and three neighborhood meetings. The site development plan was approved unanimously.
  • Castle Meadows Metropolitan District Service Plan Amendment (Item 15): The district sought a first amendment increasing public improvement costs to $73.9M, debt issuance to $86.3M, and maximum debt service mill levy from 50 to 64.044 mills (aggregate from 60 to 74.044 mills) to align with Dawson Trails and cover inflation. The resolution passed unanimously.
  • School Land Designation Ordinance (Item 16): An ordinance to amend Section 16.08.120 establishing a process for the town to remove school-designation from 13 parcels it owns (never dedicated to the school district). The school district requested delay and expressed concerns about loss of resources. The ordinance passed 5–2 (Hollingshead and Bracken opposed).
  • Public Nuisance Ordinance (Item 18) and Zoning Code Amendments (Item 19): Staff presented a new Chapter 8.01 for nuisance abatement (deferred maintenance, trash, etc.) and a series of zoning code updates including home occupation modernization (e.g., permitting personal services like hair salons), clarification of plat vacation, definitions, parking table reorganization, and other cleanup. Both ordinances were approved on first reading unanimously.
  • Comprehensive Master Plan 2040 Update (Item 20): Staff introduced the upcoming update process, budgeted for consultant services (~$250,000), with a 12–15 month timeline including broad community engagement. Council directed staff to proceed with issuing an RFP, passing unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to postpone DRB discussion to after election passed (6–1).
  • Censure of Councilmember Mark Davis failed (first 3–4, then 3–3 tie).
  • Annexation and zoning of 16.12 acres of town-owned parcels approved (unanimous).
  • King Soopers site development plan approved (unanimous).
  • Castle Meadows Metro District service plan amendment approved (unanimous).
  • Ordinance to create process for removing school land designations from town-owned parcels passed (5–2).
  • Public nuisance ordinance and zoning code amendments approved on first reading (unanimous).
  • Direction given to proceed with Comprehensive Master Plan 2040 update (unanimous).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Uh first want to thank everybody for being here, whether it's online or in person. Um then we'll open with the invitation. Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance, wisdom, and support as we begin this meeting. We gather here today and intent on doing good work. We seek to represent fairly and well those who give us this task. Help us engage in meaningful discussion, give us clarity and strength to use our best skills and judgment. Bless this community, its residents, as businesses, and its visitors. Help us to continue to do good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Davis. Here. Councilmember Brexit? Present. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Pro Tem KV? Yes. Mayor Gray. Here. Holler present. Please rise to request evidence. Liberty. I'll go ahead and start with council comments. Um we're heading to the end of in end of the summer here. School has already started and and uh everyone's back getting back in the school, so that's always exciting. Um we had a last first Friday not too long ago. We had have a one or two more concerts left, so that's fantastic. Um and uh and and rains in the forecast. So I'm really hoping that uh that we we can we can we can get some good rain. And um and it's been a while since you've seen everybody, so welcome back. Councilmember Holland's head. Yeah, thanks, Mayor. Um first of all, I just you know, we're we're gonna have a lot of public comment tonight, um, which is a good thing, let's have an engagement. And I just want to recognize that you know this this council does a lot of good work and is is very committed uh to this community um with with generally good intentions. Um so uh you know I I I unfortunately sometimes we'll you know we're gonna hear some things that that may seem you know unethical or unprofessional and um unfortunately a lot of us get accused of those kind of things on a regular basis and we don't do any of those things. We're just local people doing you know, serving our communities and doing our best and and doing good work. Um so I unfortunately we we're in the situation we are tonight. Um but it you know it it is what it is at this point, but I just want you to know that that the people that I work with up here um generally are are trying to do the right things all the time and and that they're um you know doing the best for the the town. So that's all I have for at this time. Thank you, Councilmember Holland said Councilmember um Bracken. Thank you, Mayor. No comments tonight. Councilmember Davis? Yeah, I want to give some kudos to Dan Saylor and the uh the public works department.

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