The Castle Rock Elections Commission on Sept. 27 designated election districts for newly annexed parcels and town-owned right-of-way areas, assigning each piece of land to the district that most closely matched contiguity and the charter’s population guidelines.

Town Clerk Lisa Anderson presented maps and a memo showing which districts touch each annexed parcel and the current registered-voter counts in each district. Anderson told the commission that only Pine Canyon is expected to contain population in the near term; Pine Canyon’s first homes are not anticipated until about 2027. She said Pine Canyon’s maximum build-out includes roughly 1,800 housing units and that a rough planning projection for early build phases is about 400 homes per year once construction starts; the clerk used an approximate planning assumption of about two registered voters per household for high-level projections.

Commission action and votes at a glance:
- Pine Canyon parcel — placed in District 4. Vote: 5–0.
- Lost Canyon parcel (661.7 acres, designated conserved open space) — placed in District 5. Vote: unanimous.
- 4 Corners parcel — placed in District 4. Vote: 5–0.
- Southridge 1 and Southridge 2 (town-owned right-of-way parcels) — placed in District 5. Vote: unanimous.
- Gilbert and Plum Creek town-owned right-of-way parcel — placed in District 5. Vote: unanimous.

Commissioners discussed the charter standard that districts should be contiguous and within 15% of the highest-to-lowest registered-voter counts. Several commissioners said that because Pine Canyon touches multiple districts and will not have residents until later phases, placing it in District 4 now was reasonable and that redistricting opportunities in future years would allow adjustments if growth patterns change.

Lost Canyon was described by staff as annexed with a conservation easement and coordinated with Douglas County Land Conservancy; staff said the land is intended to remain open space and that changes would require the conservancy and town action to alter easement or use. Commissioners observed that Lost Canyon presents little development risk and is a natural fit with District 5.

The commission did not make changes to street maps or other parcel boundaries beyond assigning each annexed parcel to an election district; commissioners noted any necessary refinements can be made during future redistricting cycles.

Why this matters: assigning districts to annexed land determines which councilmember would represent future residents and ensures new registered voters are assigned to a contiguous district ahead of voter registration and municipal processes.

Next steps: the designations will be reflected in commission records and used for administrative purposes; the town clerk and staff will handle any future adjustments during the next scheduled redistricting process or earlier if warranted by development timing.