The News-Press 7
September 2, 2021
The town of Castle Rock, with Pikes Peak in the distance.
DOWNTOWN FROM PAGE 1
approved and whether official town codes and documents are consistent. In a brief presentation, Director of Development Services Tara Vargish said in total there are eight planning documents that vary in scope but complement each other. Some are town-wide in scope, and some are written specifically for downtown, she said. The documents address building style and design, historic preservation, mobility and parking and master and comprehensive planning. Over the last year, Councilmember Caryn Johnson has brought up concerns that the documents contradict each other at times and can be inconsistent. Looking at the past three decades for downtown oversight, Vargish said original regulations and codes were created in the 1990s. In 2003, a town-wide design guide was established. Between 2006 and 2008, Vargish said there was a big push to evaluate downtown growth and development. This overhaul led to the creation of the downtown master plan, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and the Downtown Review Board (DRB). The Downtown Advisory Commission and a historic preservation plan were also created, she said. In 2010, with downtown business owners agreeing to higher taxes, the Downtown Overlay District was established, Vargish said. Between 2017 and 2019, Vargish said, updates were made to the town’s comprehensive master plan, and a downtown parking study was commissioned along with a mobility study. In an update to the council, Public Works Director Dan Sailer said the town hired a third-party consulting firm to conduct the
traffic study. The first presentation is expected to be delivered to the council for comment in October. The final study is expected in November. After discussion and receiving public comment from business owners and stakeholders representing downtown growth, the council considered two options to address the issues. One choice was to go outside the town and hire a third-party consulting firm to review all town document pertaining to growth and development. The second choice would allow town staff to review the documents and recommend changes. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken said he is not in favor of spending the money to hire an outside consultant when town staff is qualified to review the regulations and guidelines. Johnson raised concerns that with Castle Rock growing quickly, the town’s development staff is already busy and does not need another major project. Vargish said she believes town staff can take on the project, adding that if it becomes too much, a third-party consultant could be an alternative option. When asked for his input, Town Manager David Corliss said he respects that Vargish believes she and her staff can follow council directives. Corliss said town staff will do whatever the council directs them to do in working to streamline all documents. The project at hand, Corliss said, is not to change the substance of city guidelines and regulations, but to organize them. The benefit of hiring a thirdparty consultant, Corliss said, is it could provide an outside review of all eight documents. After discussion, Johnson moved to hire the outside consulting firm. The measure failed 4-3. Johnson and councilmembers Tim Dietz and Laura Cavey voted in favor. Bracken, Mayor Jason Gray and coun-
PHOTO BY KEVIN MOHATT/SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN
cilmembers Desiree LaFleur and Ryan Hollingshead voted against it. Wanting town staff to “take a swipe at it,” Gray motioned to keep the project in house, directing staff to look for discrepancies and inconsistencies in downtown development codes, documents, and policies.
The measure passed 6-1, with Cavey casting the lone vote against it. No timeline was set for staff to present their findings to council. To officially change town code, staff recommendations would have to be approved by a majority vote of the council.
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