Council approves Bella Mesa North plan for 525 homes after public concerns; council limits blasting near adjacent existing homes

Castle Rock Town Council approved the Bella Mesa North site development plan late Tuesday after extended public comment from residents and multiple council members’ questions about wildfire risk, potential impacts from blasting and the location of trails and buffers along the mesa edge.

The project, proposed by Cardell Homes and reviewed by town staff and the Planning Commission, covers about 293 acres and would construct 525 single‑family homes, with roughly 174 acres of open space preserved along mesa edges and gulches. The council heard more than a dozen public comments from residents of nearby Castlewood Ranch, Franktown and the town who raised concerns about blasting, drainage, trail access, wildlife habitat and evacuation during wildfire.

Why it matters: The property includes a prominent mesa edge with existing private homes and extensive open space used by the public. Residents argued that trails close to the cliff edge would erode privacy and that blasting for infrastructure risks structural damage, falling rocks and disturbance…