by Lisa Crockett

Though most of Castle Pines North (CPN) has almost reached “build out,” a few important parcels still remain under construction. Here is a progress report:

Walgreens Development Delayed

The developer of the proposed shopping area at Lagae Road on the north side of Castle Pines Parkway has met a minor delay. Missing information in documents submitted to the County regarding infrastructure on the site resulted in a continuance of a hearing before the County Planning Commission. Developer Anxon, Inc. – which is running the project – will now be heard on Monday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in the public hearing room of the Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street in Castle Rock.

The developer had hoped to break ground sometime in the first half of this year. With this delay, however, it is unlikely that will happen. As of press time, Walgreens is the only confirmed tenant in the shopping area, which will ultimately be home to four retail buildings.

The hearing will include statements by County planning staff and the developer, including details of land use and building detail. The public is welcome at the hearing and will be invited to comment.

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After lengthy negotiations with surrounding neighborhoods regarding the design and scope of this parcel at the corner of Monarch Boulevard and Castle Pines Parkway, Village Homes (the owner of the land) is working through the process of getting a finalized “Site Improvement Plan,” which will dictate specifics of the buildings.

“We’re now making planning revisions based on comments from Douglas County planning staff,” said Margaret Barden, Public Processing Manager for Village Homes. As soon as plans are finalized, Village can begin laying the groundwork for the project in terms of basic infrastructure (water, electricity, etc.) However, the timeline for the project remains somewhat vague, as required revisions often take longer than planned.

Douglas County Library remains committed to being an anchor tenant at the site, though funding is still not in place.

“My board has directed me to investigate the possibility of taking some questions to the voters this November,” said County Library Director, James LaRue. He added that as the process to get a new library in CPN takes shape, volunteers from the community will be a vital ingredient. Individuals interested in volunteering should contact Katie Klossner at kklossner@dclibraries.org.

Interest has been expressed from other tenants, but since the project is still in the early phases, none are committed at this time.

Castle Pines Community Church

Though this project is not technically in CPN, roughly 50 percent of its members call CPN home. The church currently meets at Buffalo Ridge Elementary, but has plans to build a permanent home in Surrey Ridge. Plans were submitted to the County last summer. The County responded with several concerns regarding parking, traffic control and building codes. The church has until July 2 to respond to questions from the County. Construction cannot begin until all concerns from the County have been satisfied.

For more complete information on these construction projects in CPN, visit www.cpnhoa.org, click on “News Archives 2006.”