Wellington planners, developer outline 300-acre Sage Farms plan with trails, parks and phased buildout

Wellington Town planning staff and the developer of Sage Homes presented a conceptual master plan for the 300-acre Sage Farms site at the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Board (PROS) meeting on April 9, 2025. The presenters described a phased buildout focused first on a north-side single-family neighborhood and a prominent north–south trail intended to connect into existing Sage Meadows trails and the wider regional network.

The project is “approximately 300 acres in size,” Planning Director Cardi Verne said, and the concept envisions multiple phases that “we're anticipating 20 to 25 years, potentially.” The town and developer described the master plan as a mix of single-family detached housing, future multifamily opportunities, a neighborhood commercial corner and a larger commercial hub at the south end of the site; staff also said the plan includes a letter of interest from UCHealth for a potential medical facility at the southern commercial node.

Why it matters: the development carries substantial park and trail obligations and long-term implications for Wellington’s east-side connectivity. Under the town’s current approach staff said the site generates roughly 34 acres of park and open space requirements, and the conceptual layout tries to concentrate much of that into a single larger regional park while meeting pocket-park requirements inside early phases.

Phase 1, open-space and parks: staff and the developer said the first filing will be principally single-family housing on the north side of the site. Planner Britney (last name not provided in the meeting packet) said the first filing includes about 241 single-family lots and two pocket parks; she summarized the code requirement by saying, “a pocket park is required for every 200 single family homes. Since they have over that, it's 2 pocket parks.” The packet shown to PROS also shows a north–south regional trail that runs through the first phase and connects to Sage Meadows across GW Bush Avenue.

Trail design, connectivity and ADA surfacing: staff repeatedly emphasized trail connectivity to existing neighborhoods and the regional trail network. Britney described the trail cross section to the board as “a concrete pad with 2 soft shoulders on either side.” Several PROS members and staff discussed whether the town’s 2015 master plan guidance calling for concrete trails plus soft shoulders should be strictly applied across the site, and debated trading a wider concrete trail versus using savings to install pour-in-place (rubberized) ADA playground surfacing at park sites. Verne and other staff framed the discussion as one of priorities to be refined during subsequent plat and construction reviews.

Maintenance and ownership: town planning staff told the board they favor having homeowners’ associations (HOAs) own and maintain most pocket parks, trail segments and irrigation systems, while the town would retain any larger regional park the project dedicates. Verne said staff “really don't wanna be in the business of maintaining pocket parks” and argued that placing smaller open spaces under HOA maintenance reduces recurring burdens for town parks crews.

Stormwater, irrigation and site features: presenters said nonpotable irrigation wells will serve the development’s open spaces and that two decorative irrigation ponds are shown at the main entrance (the developer said only one pond is functionally required but two were included for aesthetics). Staff noted that some outlots are reserved for future commercial build-out and are not part of filing 1; the outlots will require later approvals when a purchaser and specific program are identified.

Timing, approvals and constraints: staff explained the project is being developed under an annexation agreement and planned-unit-development (PUD) framework and that each phase will require preliminary- and final-plat approvals. A town staff member summarized the legal safeguards in place, saying the town “has adopted an annexation agreement. The board of trustees approved that document. It's a recorded document with the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder, and it outlines these are the things that you have to comply with.” Staff also warned that sewer capacity and other infrastructure needs will affect when later phases can proceed; the developer said his hope is to “be moving dirt this time next year,” but both developer and staff said that schedule depends on infrastructure and market conditions.

Park land swap under discussion: staff said they have discussed an offset for the on-site regional park by acquiring a roughly 13-acre parcel on Jefferson Avenue adjacent to existing trails and Harvest Park. Under that proposal the developer would help the town acquire the 13 acres and the town would reduce the on-site required park acreage by an equivalent, pro rata amount — leaving a still-significant (but smaller) community park inside Sage Farms while immediately gaining a separate town-owned park closer to existing neighborhoods.

Next steps: PROS members encouraged the developer and staff to refine trail cross sections, lighting (bollards and low-level fixtures), and ADA access, and asked for cost estimates for options such as an 8‑foot versus 10‑foot concrete trail and for pour-in-place playground surfacing. Staff said the project will return for subsequent review phases (final-plat and construction documents) and that those documents will be the venue to resolve detailed slope, drainage and trail design questions before construction. No formal votes or ordinance actions were taken on the Sage Farms materials at this meeting.

Bottom line: Wellington staff and the Sage Homes team presented a detailed conceptual plan for a large, multi‑decade subdivision that elevates trail connectivity and a consolidated regional park while shifting maintenance of smaller open spaces to HOAs. The project still faces infrastructure constraints and numerous design choices that PROS asked staff and the developer to study and return with costed options during later review steps.