1-Color
March 13, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 13, Issue 8 A publication of
lonetreevoice.net
Condo project approved in RidgeGate City says 190-unit development broadens range of housing options By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
A view of what the recently approved Commonwealth Heights condominium complex will look like from the vantage point of the RidgeGate Parkway and Bellwether Lane intersection. Courtesy graphic
A four-story, 190-unit condominium complex with ground-floor retail space is planned on RidgeGate Parkway, between Miramont Apartments and Belvedere Townhomes. Condos at Commonwealth Heights will sell for about $250,000 each. Groundbreaking is targeted for next month. The Lone Tree City Council approved the project from Greenwood Village-based developer Arcadia Holdings during its March 4 meeting. It adds another layer of housing options to the single-family homes, townhouses
and apartments already in RidgeGate. And that, Mayor Jim Gunning said, is healthy for the city. “It’s a product mix for younger families, and it’s owner occupied,” he said. “It’s very important to us that we have a broad product mix. We don’t have a lot of that now, so I think this is a very good project.” Most — 139 — are designed as one-bedroom units, with 28 two-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom condos also planned in the building. New condominiums construction has been scarce for years, not just in RidgeGate but throughout the state. A streak of homeowners’ association lawsuits for alleged poor construction — many of which ended in multimillion-dollar settlements — left builders reluctant to pursue the condo market. Condo continues on Page 7
District survey weighed School leaders say implementation must be carefully considered By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com Community members repeatedly have requested a return of the once-annual Douglas County School District parent and employee surveys. School board president Kevin Larsen recently said the idea is not off the table, but that it must be thoroughly examined. A parent survey has not been done since 2012, and DCSD discounted those results as too small to be statistically valid. Some parents believe the surveys are needed to gauge community satisfaction with the district’s policies and direction, and they again asked for their return during the March 3 Board Unplugged meeting at Parker’s Cimarron Middle School. “It’s something I think we could look at,” Larsen said after the meeting. “To just say we’re going to do a survey, I think that’s got to be very carefully considered. How do we do that so the results we get from it truly represent the whole community and have meaningful, valid results we can base some things on? It really needs to be cross sectional, representative of everybody’s viewpoints.” Larsen also noted the board was elected based on an education reform platform, and a survey’s results likely wouldn’t prompt a change in direction. He also said the key components of DCSD’s education reform — including pay-forperformance, the market-based pay scale and other policies — already are in place. “I don’t think we’re going to be dealing with so many changes,” he said. “We’re trying to just refine what we’ve already laid out.” Regardless, the Strong Schools Coalition is among many who continue to advocate for a survey. Coalition president Laura Mutton said she’d like to see separate surveys given to parents, students, DCSD employees and community members. “An election is not a survey,” she said. “I think we need a survey in order to provide transparency regarding the support for these initiatives, and also accountability Survey continues on Page 7
Emergency personnel swarm the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street after a carjacking suspect crashed this silver sedan, then attempted to take the dark gray wagon behind it before a sheriff’s deputy blocked his escape. Photos by Jane Reuter
Suspect in carjackings arrested Ryan Stone was apprehended in Douglas County after lengthy chase By Jane Reuter and Chris Michlewicz Staff writers
A multi-county, highspeed chase during which a man carjacked and crashed several vehicles through the morning rush hour ended March 12 with the suspect’s arrest in northern Douglas County. Ryan Stone, 28, is suspected of eluding authorities for almost two hours before crashing a stolen silver sedan at Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street at about 8:15 a.m. Even after crashing, the suspect ran to the vehicle he’d hit and attempted to get into it before a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy blocked the second car with his patrol vehicle. Stone then fled on foot, nearly scal-
ing a fence at the Windsor at Meridian apartments before officers apprehended him. He was taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center and evaluated. From there, officials said Stone would be transported to the Douglas County Jail. A woman driving the silStone ver car the suspect carjacked last on Belford Avenue west of Peoria also was uninjured after the suspect pulled her from the car and to the ground. “You look at how many people he grabbed — this person had to be stopped,” said Sheriff David Weaver, adding his “heart sunk” when he learned Stone was heading toward Douglas County. It was not Stone’s first encounter with the law, deputies said during a morning press conference near the Lincoln Avenue crash site.
Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver, right, and Undersheriff Tony Spurlock addressed the media after the carjacking suspect was arrested the morning of March 12. Longmont police said Stone had an outstanding warrant out of Arapahoe County for failure to appear in court on charges related to dangerous drugs. Stone has addresses in Highlands Ranch, Centennial and Aurora, authorities say. His girlfriend, Julie Pawlak of Aurora, was arrested in a stolen vehicle in Longmont on the evening of March 11.
Trooper Nate Reid, public information officer for the Colorado State Patrol, said
Chase continues on Page 7
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.