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HOA president urges stricter standards for traffic studies, warns of legal costs
Summary
At public comment, Doug Gilbert, president of Castle Pines North HOA, urged the commission to require more rigorous traffic‑study methods than sole reliance on the ITE trip generation manual and warned the city may face legal fees without stronger upfront review.
During public comment, Doug Gilbert, president of Castle Pines North Homeowners Association, thanked commissioners for recent reviews but urged a more rigorous approach to traffic studies. Gilbert said the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip‑generation model should be used cautiously and cited examples where ITE source studies were old or mixed incompatible land uses (he specifically referenced drive‑through studies from 2009–2011 used in prior local reviews).
"Relying solely on the ITE trip generation model is not advised, and they say it is not a gold standard," Gilbert said. He recommended applicants provide comparable local data and cautioned that incomplete analyses can have costs: he reported the city could face legal fees he had heard might approach $100,000 tied to an SCP commercial matter.
Staff later discussed ITE’s statistical basis during a study session and acknowledged that while many ITE land‑use rates are robust, some newer or nuanced uses may require local surveys. Presenters told commissioners the city can require applicants to perform local counts or sensitivity analyses when ITE lacks specific or recent data.
