By Chris Michlewicz; rendering courtesy of City of Lone Tree

The first in a series of construction projects that will nearly double the existing size and population of Lone Tree is now underway.

In recent weeks, earthmoving equipment could be seen reshaping the rolling landscape on the southeast quadrant of I-25 and Lincoln Avenue to make way for the remaining, long-planned build-out of
the RidgeGate development.

The completion of RidgeGate – a portion of which already exists southwest of I-25 and Lincoln Avenue – will occur in five phases on 2,000 acres in the coming years. RidgeGate currently has nearly 6,000 residents, but will ultimately be home to 30,000 residents and 50,000 jobs once completed. City government offices will also be moved to the area.

The first residential area to undergo construction will be southeast of I-25 and RidgeGate Parkway and consist of 365 single-family homes on 185 acres. The new homes will be part of the Southwest Village section of RidgeGate. At full build-out, Southwest Village will include 1,860 single-family attached and detached homes and townhomes, limited commercial components, and an 80-acre regional park with recreation paths that connect to the East/West Regional Trail.

Previously, the only vertical development to occur in the vicinity of I-25 and RidgeGate Parkway east of the highway was the RTD light rail station and parking garage. Two apartment complexes, including Lone Tree’s first affordable housing project, are also scheduled to be built in the coming months near the light rail station at RidgeGate.

The 67-unit attainable housing apartment building is being built by Koelbel and Company. The separate RidgeGate Station Apartments are a 540-unit apartment/mixed-use development to be built by Regency Residential west of Havana Street and south of RidgeGate Parkway. Both will be located in what’s known as a transit-oriented development, which are built in the area of light rail stations.

Zoning for the remaining 2,000 acres of RidgeGate was approved by Lone Tree’s City Council in the early 2000s, and preliminary plans for the upcoming construction were approved by city leaders late last year and earlier this year. Remaining approvals for specific commercial, office and residential areas will be handled administratively.

Roshana Floyd, senior planner for Lone Tree, said the build-out of RidgeGate will be a game-changer for the City.

“The value is that the city is almost going to be doubling in size. It’s going to add a lot of diversity and variety to the city and it really is going to expand on aspects of the Lone Tree community that residents and employees value, and it has access to open space and park and pedestrian activities,” she said.

In addition to 200 acres of open space and more than 6.5 miles of publicly accessible trails, the new section of RidgeGate is expected to have sites for an elementary school and a grocery store. The Lone Tree City Center, a central hub of the east end of RidgeGate, will feature 32 city blocks of urban development, with office, hotel, residential, retail, dining and entertainment components.

Connie Helgoth, a resident of Surrey Ridge for 48 years, said the primary concern for nearby homeowners is additional traffic on the roads that lead to Lone Tree and Castle Rock, and some are worried about losing their rural lifestyle. But she said most neighbors who have lived in Surrey Ridge a long time aren’t bothered by the upcoming construction and have learned to accept it, as they have slowly watched development creep toward them on all sides for decades. Helgoth said most homeowners are more interested in the proposed passenger rail line along the I-25 corridor and its potential impacts, including additional taxes (see related story page 2).