First home closes on east side
By Kathy Fallert; photos courtesy of Shea Homes
For the past decade, there has been discussion of development on the east side of I-25, expanding the boundaries of the City of Castle Pines. The time has arrived and the first homeowner has been officially welcomed and has taken occupancy on the east side of the community – with many more to quickly follow.
Bruce Baker, former resident of a 714-square-foot rental in Castle Rock since 2001, decided it was time to buy a house. Bruce is originally from northern California and went to college at the University of Georgia in Atlanta. He is a single dad who stayed in the Castle Rock area to be close to his youngest son Dillon, now 19. In addition, Bruce has triplet sons from a previous marriage. Brandon, Wesley and Kyle who are 21. Bruce drives a 53-foot semi truck out of Denver for the Coca-Cola Company as a bulk delivery driver. After almost buying a house in Arvada, Bruce backed out, feeling it just wasn’t the value he was looking for.
Left to right: Shea Homes senior community representative Lisa Leoffler, new homeowner Bruce Baker, and community representative Kevin Bair toast in honor of the first homeowner taking occupancy in the city on the east side of I-25.
“Location, location, location is what my dad always told me when it came to real estate,” Bruce reflected. “I really like the [Castle Pines] area and have watched the growth since moving to Colorado in 1999. There wasn’t much here back then. This house was actually a spec home that was 75% complete the first time I walked through it. I liked what I saw.”
On December 2, Bruce was the first to close on a house in The Canyons development. When asked how it feels being the only resident in eastern Castle Pines, Bruce’s response was, “Freaky!” Dillon chimed in with, “It’s scary!” Bruce continued, “You can barely hear the interstate from here. Deer come from out of nowhere around dusk and jump right in front of your car – some are huge with big racks of antlers. It’s kind of cool but eerily silent and really dark!”
Bruce looks forward to more families moving in and having some new neighbors. Seven families were scheduled to close the last two weeks of December. With 5,000 homes slated for The Canyons portion of the city at build-out, the east and west sides of I-25 will soon join together as one cohesive community within the City of Castle Pines.
