Lincoln County approves preliminary plat for Castle Rock Ridge subdivision near Rexford

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 10 to approve the preliminary plat for Castle Rock Ridge, a proposed two-lot subdivision of roughly 61.9 and 5.9 acres about 1.5 miles south of Rexford. Commissioners approved the proposal subject to 15 conditions recommended by planning staff covering road standards, emergency access and environmental safeguards.

Planning staff presented the project, saying the parent parcel would be split into one small residential lot and a larger remainder and that access would be from Black Lake Road with a secondary emergency egress along a court-ordered easement (Stone Mountain Road). The report noted steep slopes on the southern and western flanks, existing fuels-reduction work, lack of FEMA floodplain and no identified historic resources. Planning staff also recommended that all areas exceeding 30% slope be labeled as no-build zones on the final plat.

“Per our subdivision standards, the driveway length exceeds 1,000 feet, so turnouts should be provided at roughly 400-foot intervals or as recommended by the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department,” planning staff said, and added that emergency vehicle access must be confirmed by that department prior to final plat.

Commissioners discussed future development of the larger remainder and possible misuse of the easement; one commissioner said the court-ordered easement currently permits shared access but expressed concern that future splits could complicate access arrangements. Planning staff responded that driveway and easement standards and the recommended conditions are intended to address those concerns.

Applicant representative Maggie Lance thanked the board for the review and said water rights for the lots were already established, noting roughly 3.x acre-feet of water was associated with the shared rights. Property owner Jeff Williams also addressed the board, saying the historic primary access is via 362 Stone Mountain Road and reporting well capacities of about 12 and 28 gallons per minute.

After the discussion and public comments, a commissioner moved to approve the preliminary plat as presented with the 15 conditions; the motion carried with affirmative votes. The approval is preliminary and requires compliance with the listed conditions before final plat approval.

The planning report and the commissioners' conditions emphasize ensuring safe access, designating steep slopes as no-build, confirming emergency access with Eureka Volunteer Fire Department and placing covenants for road maintenance and weed control on the plat. The project will proceed to final plat review once those items are addressed.