Save Highlands Ranch Open Space

Signs

2010-01-14T11:20:00.001-08:00

We're not quite done saving the world - we want to make sure that the yard signs are taken care of. Who knows, we may need to use them again in the future (sigh) so please return them to:

3511 Whitford Drive in Firelight

The Real Number of CCU Students

2010-01-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

In CCU's proposals they and Shea Homes estimated a total of 1000-1500 students would live on the new Highlands Ranch campus. From the CCU press release that was published about withdrawing their interest in Highlands Ranch, CCU estimated their student housing would be expanded from approximately the nine hundred of today to a capacity nearly three times that after their new campus is completed.

Here is the pertinent part of the press release:

During fall 2009, CCU submitted a preliminary proposal to the Highlands Ranch Community Association to explore the purchase of a 100-acre parcel of open space south of Rock Canyon High School, west of Monarch Boulevard. If approved, the University would relocate its main campus to Highlands Ranch, boosting from a residential campus of approximately 900 students to a capacity nearly three times that.

It is evident that the estimates CCU and Shea proposed to the HRCA and the citizens of Highlands Ranch was far too low. There is a significant difference between the 1500 presented and and upwards if 2700 students living on campus. This also makes the number of students estimated to live off campus a questionable figure as well.

Colorado Christian University Withdraws Request to Purchase Land

2010-01-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

Via The Highlands Ranch Community Association Website:

Colorado Christian University has withdrawn its request to purchase land from the HRCA for a university campus in Planning Area E in the Backcountry. As a result, the community information meetings scheduled for January 12th, 14th, and 27th have been canceled.

This is very good news!

We appreciate all the hard work volunteers have done to make Save Highlands Ranch Open Space a success.

Caught Up In A Game We Shouldn’t Play

2010-01-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

A letter to the editor of the Highlands Ranch Herald:

Instead of spending time with my family baking cookies and getting ready to enjoy my holiday, my presence was better spent investing my time and support in saving Highlands Ranch Open space with hundreds of other families with the same values to preserve the future of our community.

I left the meeting with a bad feeling about this project. I was happy to see that both sides were presented and had an opportunity for the community to ask questions. I must have been naive to think that the CCU presentation was going to be given by CCU to share their vision and why Highlands Ranch would even consider this as an option. Shea’s representative was quite condescending with his presentation while he glossed over questions and concerns of the community.

One of the questions was trying to draw an analogy with what inning we are in a baseball game and the answer was the “first.” That being said, from what I observed last night, the home team Highlands Ranch packed seats with standing room only and only a couple supported CCU. If the score was by clapping hands this was a blowout beyond measure and CCU (ie Shea) struck out on every question/concern with vague/no answer or disregard of the community impact.

The problem here is a large number of the scorekeepers being the delegates and the board were no where to be seen. I don’t want to feel that this game is fixed and no matter how right we are with the concerns that we have already lost.

I continue to hear from others across the community that they are not being informed about this proposal. HRCA owes its community better communication of facts and answers, prior to jumping to the ninth inning before the community even hears about what it means for homeowners.

Highlands Ranch is in a game that we should not even play. There is obviously a strong political pressure to approve before the people have a full understanding of the impact. There is a reason that other community associations have rejected CCU’s proposals due to a track record of negatively impacting its community for years. There seems to be too much political collusion between CCU and Shea, which I hope has not influenced Highlands Ranch Community Associations responsibility to its homeowners.

I ask the HRCA delegates and the board to do your duty by representing the community and strike down and out this proposal before another Shea Sales pitch.

Josh Quist
Highlands Ranch

Save Highlands Ranch Open Space

2009-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the HRCA is considering selling some of our open space to Colorado Christian University?

CCU is hoping to move their campus to this location south of Rock Canyon High School on Monarch.

The proposed campus will serve over 1,500 students in Highlands Ranch.

CCU is a private tax exempt entity.

Why should I care?

Since CCU is tax exempt, will our tax dollars will pay for their county services like police, fire, and road maintenance?

This open space is a pristine habitat for deer, elk, etc. and is supposed to be for the benefit of the residents. A private university, where almost all of the students are from outside of Highlands Ranch, does not serve this purpose.

This open space has some of the most incredible views of Denver and is ideal for parks and trails.

Highlands Ranch residents approved of keeping this area open space as part of the OSCA survey. A university is in direct opposition to this survey!

65% of respondents wanted the land left undeveloped and only 19% disagreed.

57% of respondents disagreed with a university going on this land and only 20% agreed.

CCU is an NCAA Division II school and holds major cultural and sporting events on its campus which will be a burden on the community. Its students and major events will bring large volumes of traffic through the entire community. Other than Monarch, there is no room to widen the roads to serve CCU.

Since CCU is tax exempt, will the residents be paying for any road improvements paid for by Douglas County? There is no easy highway access.

Many of the nearby trails are reserved for residents, yet unless there is someone to prevent them from using them there will be nothing stopping them. This will lead to overcrowding, erosion and destruction of open space.

Why should we be subsidizing a private tax exempt organization with our tax dollars?

What should I do?

Contact the HRCA Delegate for your district. They are the ones who have the power to stop the land sale. Go to www.hrcaonline.org and click About Us and then select Leadership District Delegates. You can also follow this direct link to the HRCA delegates map, move the cursor over the number over your neighborhood and contact information is displayed.

Call your delegate, email your delegate.

Sign the petition opposing the sale:

"We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge the Highlands Ranch Community Association Board to vote "No" to Colorado Christian University's proposal to buy 100 acres of land in Back Country."

E-mail: savehropenspace@gmail.com include your name, address and subdivision, district number or delegate name.

What else can I do?

Send an e-mail to Inforequest.savehropenspace@gmail.com to volunteer to help save Highlands Ranch Open Space

Attend all of the HRCA sponsored community meetings to oppose the sale:
Tuesday, January 5 – 7PM Postponed by CCU and Shea
Thursday, January 7 – 7PM Postponed by CCU and Shea
Tuesday, January 12 – 7PM Location TBD
Thursday, January 14 – 7PM Location TBD
Wednesday, January 27 – 7PM Location TBD

E-Mail the HRCA Board of Directors:
Rick Dinsmore
rdinsmore@hrcaonline.org
303-791-2411

Laura Hopkins
lhopkins@hrcaonline.org
303-346-0603

Paul Meyers
pmeyers@hrcaonline.org
303-791-7868

Todd Landgrave
tlandgrave@hrcaonline.org
303-470-8765

David Martz
dmartz@hrcaonline.org
303-683-9524

E-Mail the Highlands Ranch Community Manager:
Gary Debus
gdebus@hrcaonline.org
303-471-8801

Contact your local association Board of Directors

Attend the RAC meetings at Eastridge Recreation Center at 6:30PM on the third Tuesday of every month starting January 19th 2010. This is your opportunity to speak directly to all of the HRCA Delegates.

For additional information please visit www.savehropenspace.org

Once the HRCA Board decides to sell the land, it will be too late to stop the development

EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG

Help Us Spread The Word!

2009-12-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

E-mail at least 10 friends and encourage them to sign the petition as well. You may cut & paste the following to make it simple:

Did you know that the Highlands Ranch Board is currently considering a proposal to sell a portion of Backcountry to a tax-exempt university?

I oppose this proposal as do many other Highlands Ranch residents. Go to www.savehropenspace.org to learn more. To sign the petition, email your name, address and subdivision/cross streets to savehropenspace@gmail.com .

It's just as important to e-mail your delegate to state your opposition. To find your delegate go to, http://www.hrcaonline.org/PortalContent/DistrictDelegates.aspx?PortalID=1&TabID=31&ParentID=6&SubSectionID=228 .

Thanks for your support!

Map Of Planning Area E

2009-12-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is the map for the planning areas to the south of the Hearth and Firelight. Planning Area E is the proposed site for Colorado Christian University (CCU).

A Photo Tour Of Planning Area E

2009-12-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mike Woodland took a tour of Planning Area E, where CCU is planning on developing their new campus. The HRCA has forbidden human incursion into this land so not to disturb the elk herds, yet feels comfortable considering a campus that will surely impact this natural resource.

A view of Planning Area E, looking east

This photo was taken from the west side of planning area E, looking northeast. The cliff area is the scenic overlook at the end of the Wildcat Mountain Trail. You can see Monarch in the very middle of this photo. There are tracks in the snow, from wildlife, all over this area.

View to the northwest from the east ridge of planning area E.

View to the west from the east ridge of planning area E. The elk are coming up the hill from the middle of the proposed campus location.

Another photo of the elk herd at the proposed site for CCU.

Wildlife tracks are everywhere.