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January 15, 2015 VOLU M E 1 1 3 | I S S UE 1 1 | 7 5 ¢
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
WHAT’S INSIDE
Communication: Local public officials say listening to residents is key. See Page 2
TOP LEFT: The ACME Water Tower Center, 823 S. Perry Street, will feature 10,000 square feet of office, retail and dining space. TOP RIGHT: Castle Rock Fire Station 151, 300 N. Perry Street, was opened in 1999. BOTTOM LEFT: The Courtyard area in downtown Castle Rock located at the corner of Perry and Fourth Street. BOTTOM RIGHT: The view down Perry Street in downtown Castle Rock. Photos by Mike DiFerdinando
Honored: Carnahan ranch gets coveted National Western Stock Show kudos. See Page 12
Super Seniors: Rock Canyon duo become go-to scorers, team leaders. See Page 17
Downtown vision developing Future plans focus on creating more urban environment in Castle Rock POSTAL ADDRESS
NEWS-PRESS
(ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the NewsPress is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media and additional mailing offices. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G E T SO CIAL WITH U S
By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com In the late 1990s, downtown Castle Rock was made up largely of a single street running down Wilcox — no downtown fire or police station, no town hall and no library. Perry Street remained sparsely populated and Festival Park did not yet exist. Today, shops, restaurants and offices line Wilcox, Perry and the surrounding streets. Together, they make up the cultural and political hub of the town and county. With a population topping 50,000, and amid a changing landscape, Castle Rock has made a point of holding on to the traditions that draw so many move to the community. “Not that we don’t create new traditions, but how do we keep our history and what built Ridler Castle Rock?” said Pam Ridler, president of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. “Of course, Starlighting is the big one — this year there was well over 1,800 peo-
A vision of progress
The evolution of downtown started in the 1990s when Perry Street was redeveloped between Third and Fourth streets. “That was really important because that strengthened the private-sector core of downStevens town,” Castle Rock Town Manager Mark Stevens said. By the early 2000s, that area boasted a number of public-sector investments, including the construction of the fire station, police station, town hall, library, Festival Park
and the county/town parking structure. In 2006, the town formed an advisory commission that would become the precursor to the Downtown Development Authority. The group was challenged with developing the downtown master plan. The commission looked at examples of other thriving downtowns in similar communities, like Fort Collins, and incorporate the best concepts and ideas, such as the importance of walkability and keeping public and government buildings in the heart of the community. “All that stuff was building momentum as we moved toward 2008,” Stevens said.
A dream deferred During the height of the recession in 2008, the Downtown Development Authority was created to bring growth to the stagnant business community. But almost as soon as the town had begun to execute its vision, the designs set forth by the community were put on hold. The recession hit full force and slowed down private investment activity. Castle Rock began to emerge from the sluggish period in 2011. Private investment money began to slowly trickle in again. New restaurants, shops and offices started to spring up and small technology Downtown continues on Page 9
Tax-increment financing plan in place New fund will help pay for downtown projects By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
P L EA SE RECYC L E T H I S C OPY
ple in downtown Castle Rock.” With the completion of the ACME Water Tower Center, 823 S. Perry St, one of the last remaining parcels of available retail space in downtown Castle Rock is now accounted for — the culmination of a plan built around public-private partnerships to revitalize the town’s economic core has nearly come to fruition. The new shopping area, which sits in the shadow of the town’s signature landmark, will feature 10,000 square feet of office, retail and dining space. New businesses like the Copper Creek Chophouse, Twisted Wardrobe Design and the Revision Skin Center hope the unique location and design will make them an integral part of the growing downtown community.
Castle Rock Town Council passed a new tax measure that will use downtown sales tax revenue to help pay for future development and projects in the downtown area, including the expansion and improvement of Festival Park.
The measure, which council passed 4-1 on Jan. 6, creates a new Downtown Tax Increment Special Fund, establishes a line of credit needed for the Festival Park expansion and other projects, and provides a revenue stream for the future. The town will utilize tax-increment financing, a process through which revenues from future taxes are used to pay for current projects. “The statute on (downtown development authorities) is very specific. If you want to take sales tax increment, and eventually property tax increment when it starts to be generated downtown, and you want to spend that on downtown plan-
ning and development, what you’re supposed to do is incur debt,” Town Manager Mark Stevens said. “You’re supposed to pay off that debt by use of future sales and property tax increment so that you’re using future revenues generated by redevelopment in the downtown to pay for long-term investments.” The 2015 increment is estimated to be $800,000, which will be placed in a new special fund and used as needed at council discretion for the 2015 Downtown Development Authority projects. TIF continues on Page 18