Hundreds of homes will be coming to Castle Rock as part of a controversial development called Pine Canyon Ranch. Up until now, the proposed Pine Canyon development was in unincorporated Douglas County but was surrounded by the town of Castle Rock. For decades, it has been a cattle ranch belonging to the Scott and now Walker family.

The land is located on both the east and west sides of Interstate 25. To the east, it is north of Scott Boulevard, south of Black Feather Trail, west of Founders Parkway and east of Front Street. West of I-25, the property is east of Prairie Hawk Drive, south of Highway 85 and bisected by Liggett Road.

At a Tuesday night meeting, the Castle Rock Town Council voted to annex the land into the town of Castle Rock and approve its development plan and zoning.

This has been a controversial development, with neighbors saying they worry about its impact on traffic and town resources. But the public was notably absent from Tuesday night’s meeting, as originally there was no public comment scheduled.

After the vote, landowner Kurt Walker spoke to CBS Colorado on camera for the first time.

“What’s the next step for you guys now?” CBS Colorado’s Olivia Young asked Kurt Walker, Pine Canyon project manager and sixth-generation landowner.

“Take a breath!” Walker replied.

It’s the yes Walker and his family have been waiting 20 years for.

“It’s been a very, very long lead-up, multiple decades. We’re excited and relieved to have this chapter closed,” Walker said.

Most recently, Walker sought approval for the development through Douglas County, which drew outcry from neighbors and the town of Castle Rock itself, citing concerns that the development would develop solely off nonrenewable groundwater and would tax town resources without supporting them.

Ultimately, county commissioners directed the applicant to meet with the town of Castle Rock, and after months of moving through the town’s process, the land Walker’s family has ranched for the last 150 years will soon be officially a part of Castle Rock. It has also been greenlit for development.

“As of today, we get to be part of the fabric of the town itself and we are darn excited about integrating into the town,” Walker said.

The proposed Pine Canyon Ranch will include 800 single-family homes, 1,000 multifamily homes, open space and commercial space, which could include a hotel and spa. Many community members have said it’s too much.

“I’m worried about the traffic on Founders,” said Laura Cavey, Castle Rock mayor pro tem. “I would love to see a little less density and some real focus on the traffic.”

“Nobody wants a hotel there. Everybody I talk to thinks it’s a bad idea,” said Castle Rock Town Councilmember Mark Davis.

Echoing those concerns, three town councilors voted against the development plan.

“I cannot vote yes,” said Castle Rock Town Councilmember Tim Deitz. “We have one shot to do this right. Basically, I don’t like the fact that we would piece-meal it.”

But with four councilmembers voting yes, the development plan and zoning regulations passed. The annexation passed unanimously, and a final motion to approve annexation, a vested property rights agreement, and vesting site development plans passed 6-1. The only no vote was Councilmember Deitz, who said at times he felt the town was being “held hostage” in this process.

“They’re giving us all of our groundwater and we’ll be able to keep our sanitation process safe going forward,” said Kevin Bracken, Castle Rock town councilmember.

Bracken voted yes on the development plan, saying he was not willing to risk having the development move through the county. He and other councilmembers said it would be a “bait and switch” to reject the proposal now.

“We’ve worked really hard and done our due diligence to make sure it’s done in the town of Castle Rock,” said Jason Gray, Castle Rock mayor. “There are some things we don’t love about this. At the same time, we do love that it’s in the town of Castle Rock and not the county.”

Walker, pledging to listen to those concerns, as development begins: “We very much appreciate those comments and we look forward to working to do exactly what was said, which was work together to find the solution that works for the entire community,” Walker said.

While the project has been greenlit, the approval won’t be formally official for 30 days. A town spokesperson said:

“The annexation and zoning for Pine Canyon was approved by Town Council. There is a 30-day referendum period that starts now. Following that, the applicant will provide all of their signed mylars and agreements to the town for recording. Every project is different on when final documents are signed and submitted to the town. This typically ranges from one to six months from when the annexation and zoning was approved. The annexation and zoning are effective once all final documents are signed and recorded with the Douglas County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.”

This approval is just the first step of a long development process. Next, site development plans will be submitted for approval. The developers say they will look at doing an updated traffic study as part of this process.