Douglas County approves Range preliminary plan for 399-acre residential development with conditions

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners on May 27 unanimously approved a preliminary plan for the Range subdivision (project file SB2024-048), clearing the way for 550 single-family lots on roughly 399 acres east of U.S. 85 at Airport Road.

The plan includes about 240 acres — roughly 60% of the site — set aside as open space, two access points to Highway 85, and commitments for water and transportation infrastructure. "The Range preliminary plan proposes 550 units on 399 acres in Planning Area 1 and Planning Area 2," said Mike Paseka, representing planning services for Douglas County.

The board’s vote follows a staff recommendation and a unanimous Planning Commission recommendation (7–0). The approval was conditioned on a set of requirements the county listed for final plat and construction, including confirmation of water supply, dedication of land for a future Airport Road/Highway 85 interchange and an open-space protection agreement.

Why it matters: The Range is a large residential project abutting Highlands Ranch backcountry and Cherokee Ridge Estates. The development’s design emphasizes open space and wildlife corridors and will require new water and sewer infrastructure and road improvements that affect regional partners, including CDOT and Dominion Water and Sanitation District.

Key details and approvals - Density and layout: 550 detached single-family lots clustered in two planning areas, with lot sizes ranging from about 5,625 to 23,854 square feet; the PD sets a 4,000-square-foot minimum lot area and a 35-foot maximum building height. - Open space and wildlife: Approximately 240 acres are proposed as open space; staff and the applicant emphasized preservation of the Daniels Park drainage and wildlife movement corridors. The applicant committed to wildlife-friendly fencing if fencing is used. - Water and sewer: Dominion Water and Sanitation District will provide wholesale water and sewer; the applicant has an executed service agreement with Dominion and will construct over 3.5 miles of on-site water and sewer mains to serve the development and contribute to a regional corridor connection. Dominion’s general manager, Andrea Cole, told the board Dominion will provide water from its conjunctive-use system and that "we do not intend to use any of the existing groundwater wells on the Range." Cole also said outstanding Division of Water Resources comments had been addressed. - Transportation: CDOT will require construction of new traffic lanes at both north and south access points and dedication of land for a future interchange at Airport Road and Highway 85; the applicant committed to dedicating up to 7 acres for the interchange and to a traffic-impact fee per unit. - Environmental and cultural protections: Conditions require implementation of subdivision-wide wildfire mitigation recommendations, burrowing-owl surveys for spring–fall earthmoving, and procedures to stop and report any discovery of historic or paleontological resources.

Neighbor concerns and responses Adjacent landowners Randy and Susan Poet spoke at the hearing, urging protections tied to their property at 7680 N. U.S. Highway 85. Randall Poet asked the board to require a 1,000-foot setback from the Poets' property for any future wells on the Range site; Susan Poet said a 1,000-foot separation would reduce the chance that a deeper, high-volume well on Range land would impair a future well on the Poets’ southern parcel.

The applicant and Dominion responded that current plans rely on Dominion’s conjunctive-use supply and that there are no immediate plans to use groundwater. Dominion’s Andrea Cole described the state well-permit review process and the statutory 600-foot minimum setback for new wells, noting the state evaluates hydrology and impairment when it issues well permits. The board was also told several of the Poets’ requests are reflected in proposed conditions; the applicant agreed it would finalize a shared-access agreement and would acquire the small parcel needed for the northern access prior to first final plat.

Formal action and conditions The board’s action approved the preliminary plan with the conditions described in the staff report. Staff listed a series of requirements to be satisfied prior to first final plat, recordation, or building permit; those include (summary): filing required well-abandonment or augmentation documentation with the Colorado Division of Water Resources; acquisition of land for the northern access from the adjacent property owner; finalizing a shared access agreement; approval of location-and-extent applications for water and sewer; approval of an open-space protection agreement; release of certain water covenants to allow conveyance of Denver Basin groundwater rights to Dominion (as applicable); dedication of up to 7 acres for the Airport Road interchange; school cash-in-lieu obligations; implementation of wildfire mitigation measures prior to building permits; burrowing-owl studies during spring–fall earthmoving; cultural-resource notification and reporting; technical corrections to record exhibits; and the standard condition that all promises made by the applicant in the hearing or in writing are relied upon by the board.

The motion to approve (project file SB2024-048) was moved, seconded and passed unanimously.

What comes next The applicant indicated subdivision planning will continue through the year, with construction to begin the following year and first-home occupancy anticipated in 2028 and full build-out in five to seven years. Final plat review, water-and-sewer L&E approvals, and coordination with CDOT for access and interchange design are among the steps required before building permits can be issued.

Sources and attribution: statements and direct quotes above are drawn from the May 27 public hearing presentation and testimony recorded in the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners meeting transcript, including staff presenter Mike Paseka, applicant representatives Rob Fitch and Troy Bales, Dominion Water and Sanitation District general manager Andrea Cole, and adjacent property owners Randall Poet and Susan Poet.

Ending note: The approval delegates multiple follow-up responsibilities to the applicant, Dominion and county staff; completion of those items — particularly water approvals, property acquisition for access, and CDOT interchange design — will determine the timing and extent of construction.