Planning commission backs Pine Canyon annexation and PD zoning; commissioners split timing on votes

The Castle Rock Planning Commission on April 24 voted to recommend Town Council approve both the annexation of the 535‑acre Pine Canyon site and the accompanying plan‑development (PD) zoning that would allow up to 1,800 residential units and a mix of single‑family, multifamily, commercial and open space uses.

Commissioners opened a lengthy staff presentation that summarized a multi‑year history of the property, which had active county applications between 2013 and 2020. Town staff and the property owner executed a pre‑annexation agreement in December that the staff said clarifies water service, traffic study expectations, view‑plain/tree protection standards and other regulatory commitments if annexation proceeds. Tara Vargasch, planning staff, told the commission the town's primary objective is to have the property developed under Town of Castle Rock standards rather than under unincorporated Douglas County jurisdiction.

The applicant team, represented by landowner Kurt Walker and consultant Marcus Pockner, described the PD plan as a reflective plan that matches densities to adjacent neighborhoods. The PD application proposes roughly 800 single‑family units concentrated…