Planning commission recommends approval of Foundation Auto Dealership site plan; sends to Town Council

The Castle Rock Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Oct. 9 to recommend approval of a site development plan for the Foundation Auto Dealership and service center at the corner of South Wilcox and Brookside Circle.

Planning staff told commissioners the 6.43-acre proposal is for a 32,826-square-foot building approximately 30 feet tall, with about 385 parking spaces and an estimated 50 employees once operational. Staff concluded the plan meets municipal code criteria for a use by special review, conforms with the Town Vision and Comprehensive Master Plan and the Plum Creek West Planned Development Plan, and recommended the commission forward the application to Town Council for final action; the council is scheduled to consider the item on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

“The site plan meets the municipal code criteria for use by special review,” planning staff said during the meeting. Staff also noted the project held three neighborhood meetings; one person attended those sessions and discussed sewer and water connection locations and construction timing.

The applicant, represented by Casey Adrania of Adrania Architecture and Development, said the development would include a showroom at the front and service operations in the rear, with a service drive on the north side. Adrania told commissioners the project’s most significant public benefit is traffic improvements along Wilcox Street: the plan adds a left-turn lane and an acceleration lane that will allow southbound Wilcox traffic to continue with less interruption, and the left-turn lane will serve both the existing dealerships and the proposed site. The proposal also includes new bike lanes on both sides of Wilcox connecting to nearby projects.

Commissioners asked about several operational and design matters. On electric vehicle infrastructure, staff said the town’s zoning code currently does not require EV chargers and that any state or building-code requirements for chargers would be addressed at permitting. The applicant said current dealership projects in the region are adding EV chargers during design and construction and that on-site charging is increasing rapidly.

On fire safety for electric vehicles, the applicant described industry approaches the firm has seen, including locating spare EV batteries in a separate, temperature-controlled outbuilding or inside a three-hour fire-rated room within the building. Planning staff said fire-code compliance and annual inspections would govern storage and mitigation as best practices and codes evolve.

Commissioners raised design and environmental concerns, including the amount of surface parking and the heat-island effect created by large parking lots. The applicant and staff discussed mitigation options, such as landscape islands with trees, photovoltaic canopies over parking, and increased perimeter landscaping; staff noted material and operational trade-offs such as dealer inventory needs and building-cost considerations. Planning staff and commissioners also referenced the upcoming comprehensive plan update as a forum to address broader, townwide design priorities.

No members of the public signed up to speak during the public hearing. After discussion, Chair Warnke moved to recommend approval “as proposed.” The motion received a second and passed on a 5-0 roll-call vote.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation and the staff report will go to Town Council for a final decision on Nov. 4. If council approves the plan, the applicant would proceed with building permits and the site-work sequence described in the staff presentation.