Castle Pines Church Moves Forward with New Facility in Surrey Ridge
by Lisa Crockett
Castle Pines Community Church has asked the County for clarification on several comments made regarding its plan for a new church building in Surrey Ridge.
The building, which is proposed to be built on a 12.7-acre site at 9009 Clydesdale Road in the Surrey Ridge community, is a smaller structure than what the church had originally proposed.
The first plan for a 500-seat church was withdrawn and downsized to a 350-seat church. The original structure would have been considered “special use,” and would have required more hearings and a longer approval process than the current proposal, which is considered “principal use,” according to County Planner Steve Koster.
The church currently conducts Sunday services at Buffalo Ridge Elementary and maintains an office on Village Square Drive. At present, church programs that take place during the week are conducted in the church’s office.
“We’re currently quite limited in what we can offer,” said Executive Pastor Jack Estep. “The new building will allow us to offer complete programs to our children and youth.” Such programs would likely be held on a weekly basis. Neighbors in Surrey Ridge have expressed concern about traffic, parking congestion, lighting, and competition with equestrian traffic.
“With all church traffic access via Clydesdale, it is naïve to assume that it would not seriously impact the speed and volume of traffic on Clydesdale Road,” said one Surrey Ridge resident.
Additionally, the County has asked the church to address issues pertaining to traffic flow, aesthetic issues, and other matters pertaining to safety, health, and welfare. There are clearly a number of hurdles to clear before ground can be broken, but the church remains committed to building on the site.
“This will likely be a long process, and there are a lot of details for us to look at” said Pastor Estep. “We want the surrounding community to know that we welcome neighborhood events; this should be viewed as a community building. We are planning to offer marriage enrichment seminars, divorce recovery programs, and other outreach programs. We often reach young people outside our church, and in this way we often feel we save the community and the County some expense.”
Roughly 50 percent of the church’s membership resides in Castle Pines North.
