Planning commission recommends annexation and plan-development plan for Pine Canyon; commissioners and public press for traffic and school clarity

The Castle Rock Planning Commission voted to recommend that Town Council approve both the annexation and a plan-development plan (PDP) for the Pine Canyon property, a roughly 535-acre enclave north of downtown that straddles Interstate 25.

Town planning staff framed the application as an unusual, longstanding case. Staff said the property has had prior county applications and that the present filing includes a pre-annexation agreement reached between the owner and the town. Tara Vargas, planning staff, told commissioners the central question is not whether development will occur but whether it is regulated by the town or by Douglas County. "This project's a little different than some, we're not talking about whether development will happen or not. It's definitely staff's opinion that development will happen on this parcel," Vargas said.

The PDP presented by the applicant proposes a…