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Council OKs Lost Canyon Ranch purchase, annexation compliance and municipal code changes
Summary
Castle Rock Council unanimously approved a $1.1 million purchase-and-sale for ~35 acres adjacent to Lost Canyon Ranch, set an annexation eligibility hearing for a 16.5-acre church parcel, and adopted code changes to streamline disposition and leasing of town property.
Castle Rock Town Council unanimously authorized three agenda items: a purchase and sale agreement to add roughly 35 acres to Lost Canyon Ranch for $1,100,000, a resolution finding substantial compliance for the Saint Francis of Assisi annexation petition and setting an eligibility hearing, and amendments to the municipal code governing disposition and lease of town real property.
Parks & Recreation staff member Jeff Brower described the Lost Canyon Ranch parcel and said the purchase would include nontributary groundwater rights and well infrastructure. He said the town would deposit $25,000 earnest money and pursue a diligence period of up to 60 days; the Conservation Trust Fund is the primary funding source and Castle Rock Water will contribute financially to reduce net costs. "This is a time sensitive matter," Brower said, and staff recommended council authorize escrow and due diligence.
On the annexation item, planning staff said the petition for Saint Francis of Assisi (about 16.5 acres in unincorporated Douglas County) met the state's first‑step substantial‑compliance test under Article 2, Section 30 of the Colorado Constitution and CRS 31‑12‑1071; staff recommended setting an eligibility hearing for Feb. 17, 2026, and council approved that date unanimously.
Town Attorney Michael Hyman presented an ordinance amending municipal code provisions on disposition and leasing of town real property to give council and the town manager more flexibility (for example, by allowing some conveyances and leases by resolution and retaining reversion rights), and council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance as introduced by title.
All three measures passed without recorded opposition; councilmembers praised the acquisitions as preserving open space and noted the importance of timing and due diligence.
Next steps: staff to proceed with escrow and due diligence on the Lost Canyon parcel, schedule the annexation eligibility hearing on Feb. 17, 2026, and implement the municipal code changes administratively.
