Lucky Carla and the Leadership Douglas County group enjoyed lunch and the beautiful atmosphere of the Sanctuary during Economic and Development and Small Business Day hosted at this gorgeous venue.

By Patte Smith

As Douglas County and the areas around Castle Pines grow and are developed, it is hard to grasp the immensity of planning communities, developing infrastructures and the overall concepts of building towns, businesses and homes.

In December, Leadership Douglas County participants discovered the many components that go into economic development. Entitlement and annexation, master plans, aging populations, residential and commercial properties, commercial real estate, and personal tax plans for small business were addressed during Economic Development and Small Business Day.

Three developments that are in the works around the Castle Pines area were studied: the Canyons that has not been started, the Meadows which is fairly complete, and Ridgegate which over the past few years has started being built. “Each plan has unique issues and challenges and it is a long process,” notes Carla Kenny. “What was so interesting was learning the developers’ perspectives.”

As an example, the Ridgegate land was purchased in 1972 and annexation into Lone Tree didn’t happen until 2000. In 2001 the infrastructure was started and in 2003 Sky Ridge Medical Center opened. During the next few years, the recreation center was built, a new Target store opened, and new homes were constructed. The new Ridgegate parkway opened to traffic in 2009, and now more retail is going in with an apartment project built. There are future plans for a downtown Lone Tree on the east side of 1-25, as well as residential and commercial properties. Light rail is planned to be in Ridgegate by 2016-2017.

The leadership group also had the opportunity of learning about The Sancuary’s development. The Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) organization, was developed by Dave and Gail Lininger, who were the co-founders of RE/MAX International. Their idea was to build a golf course and event center as a means for non-profit organizations to hold fundraisers and raise money for their causes. As of the end of 2010, $56 million has been raised for the non-profits.

Baby boomers were a topic discussed during the day in regard to senior developments in Douglas County. “As the population ages, the need for senior housing increases,” Kenny stated. “Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch, a 1,500 apartment complex, was the featured senior living community that we explored. It is an incredible senior facility and the largest in the Denver area. It is apparent that we are going to need more of these retirement options in our county, and at Wind Crest they offer special services such as home support, physicians, EMTs, social services, just to name a few.”

Rounding out the day Kenny and the other members of the group listened to three small business owners in the county. John DeLay of Pegasus Restaurant, Michelle Sugarman of Sports Clips, and Michael Likens of Gopixel.com presented the ins and outs of running a small business. “Although they have all had to overcome some difficulties and challenges, these business owners keep plugging away, even during this tough economy,” explains Kenny. “They are an integral part of our communities’ success. We have to support the small business owner in county.”