CASTLE PINES, Colo. — Castle Pines voters could soon decide whether all annexation proposals involving more than 20 acres should require voter approval, following a citizen-led effort sparked by this year's controversial Crowsnest annexation proposal.
"Crowsnest was the impetus for the city to start looking at an annexation plan that they didn't have, and it was also the impetus for a group of citizens who were concerned about annexation that may not fit the character of our beautiful town," said Castle Pines Resident Christine Harris.
Over the last few months, organizers like Harris of a citizen-led initiative to give voters in Castle Pines an opportunity to have their input heard on future annexations in the city have been gathering signatures to get two charter amendments on the November ballot.
They read as follows:
Amendment 1: The ballot language is as follows:
SHOULD THE CITY OF CASTLE PINES HOME RULE CHARTER BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PROVISION: PROPERTY IN EXCESS OF 20 ACRES OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY A SINGLE OWNER OR OWNERSHIP GROUP OR THAT ARE PART OF A COMMON PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT OR RELATED TRANSACTIONS MAY BE ANNEXED INTO THE CITY ONLY UPON APPROVAL BY THE VOTERS AT AN ELECTION OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF CASTLE PINES, COLORADO, AND FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PROVISION, ANY SINGLE, SUCCESSIVE, CUMULATIVE, SERIAL OR SIMULTANEOUS ANNEXATIONS OF MULTIPLE PARCELS SHALL BE AGGREGATED AND TREATED AS A SINGLE ANNEXATION AS PROVIDED IN C.R.S. SECTION 31-12-104(1)(a)?
In short, this amendment will require any parcel of land over 20 acres to be approved by the voters of Castle Pines prior to annexation. The measure also precludes developers from bundling parcels of land totaling less than 20 acres into a larger aggregate for annexation.
Amendment 2: The ballot language is as follows:
SHOULD THE CITY OF CASTLE PINES HOME RULE CHARTER BE
AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PROVISION: ANY PARCEL OVER 20 ACRES OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY A SINGLE OWNER OR OWNERSHIP GROUP ANNEXED WITHIN 180 DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE REFERRED FOR RATIFICATION AT AN ELECTION OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF CASTLE PINES, COLORADO, AND IF NO SUCH ANNEXATION OCCURS WITHIN SUCH 180-DAY PERIOD, THIS SECTION MAY BE REPEALED BY COUNCIL ORDINANCE WITHOUT A VOTE OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF CASTLE PINES, COLORADO?
In short, should any land be annexed to Castle Pines between now and election day (November 3, 2026), that annexation would need to go back to the voters of the City of Castle Pines for approval before annexation could proceed. This amendment also allows the City Council to repeal it if there is no annexation of land between now and November 3, 2026.
"Our city is a place where we have lots of open space, wild animals, parks, beautiful trees, Castle Pines, and that's the character for which we've all moved here and which we want to preserve," Harris said.
Harris has called Castle Pines home for a decade; she says she and her fellow organizers want a seat at the table, and so far, working with the city has been a positive experience.
"I think people wanted; they were interested in having a say in what happens, and they also wanted a personal vote in it," Harris outlined to Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito. "They helped us get the wording of the proposal in a way that fits how you do these things to get them on a ballot."
Castle Pines: Tracy Engerman sat down with Melito to talk about the ballot measures.
She told Melito citizen-led movements like these are a very important part of local government.
"We want to craft policies for the city that are what the community is looking for," Engerman explained. "A lot of times it's just people wanted to know what the future of Castle Pines looks like, and what can they do to have some influence in it."
But Engerman notes her concerns about the language of what'll be on the ballot.
"The challenges for this ballot measure are that it really positions annexations as a one-size-fits-all decision, and it's a binary yes or no vote," Engerman said. "I think that this decision would drive possibility away."
Engerman fears that if this passes in November, it will not allow for dialogue between the city and a developer to improve an annexation proposal, as once one comes forward, it would appear on the ballot the following November.
Harris recognizes those concerns but says this would lead to more conversation beforehand.
"I think having citizens vote on it certainly adds another step, another process that we have to follow, that will add some time, and I think if I were a developer, I would say that's a lot of hoops to jump through, but it's also an opportunity to talk to the citizens," Harris said.
And ultimately it is about the future of Castle Pines.
"I would say it's not that we're against development," Harris explained. "We just want it to be smart and fit the character of our beautiful city, and make sure that whoever moves to those places has what they need that we have."
