Castle Rock's Planning Commission voted 6-1 on Aug. 13 to recommend approval of Chateau Valley, a 402-home subdivision on just under 112 acres in the western part of town. The recommendation now goes to Town Council, which makes the final decision.
The site sits north of the Baldwin Park subdivision, south of the South Ridge Townhomes, and east of the Glover subdivision and Memmen Ridge Open Space.
The land has been zoned for houses since 1983
This is the part that shapes everything else about the application. The property was annexed into Castle Rock in 1983 as part of the Young American Planned Development, a PD that covers two components — Baldwin Park Estates and the South Memmen portion, where Chateau Valley sits.
Town planner Brad Boland walked the commission through the entitlement history. The PD as a whole allows roughly 1,025 residential units. The South Memmen portion specifically allows 666. Some of that has already been built, including the South Ridge Townhomes, which leaves 561 units still entitled on the remaining ground.
Chateau Valley proposes 402.
Rusty Hall, the engineer presenting for the applicant, characterized that as a 28% reduction from what the zoning permits. That framing is the applicant's, but the underlying numbers came from town staff.
What that means practically: the question in front of the commission was not whether houses get built here. That was settled in 1983. The question was what the layout, density and open space look like.
What's actually proposed
- 402 home sites — 148 duplex lots and 254 single-family detached homes, plus one clubhouse
- 45% of the site in open space, roughly 50 acres
- More than 3,700 feet of regional trail and 2,800-plus feet of soft-surface trail
- Four detention basins, with the 100-year floodplain kept off all private lots
- Open space buffers along the perimeter where the site meets existing neighborhoods
The plan puts 60-foot lots along the edges backing onto the Baldwin and Glover subdivisions, which the applicant said was deliberate — matching the larger existing lots at the boundary rather than putting the smallest product against established homes.
The site also carries some history worth noting: 14 acres were dedicated to the town back at the 1983 annexation, land that now forms part of the 43-acre Memmen Ridge park.
Water was dedicated to Castle Rock at the time of annexation as well. Under the annexation agreement, the town provides water service to the property in exchange for that dedication.
What neighbors raised
Ten residents spoke during public comment. Two themes dominated.
Open space and privacy came up most often — concerns about tree cover and forested areas that could be preserved, and about what happens to the character of land adjoining Memmen Ridge.
Traffic was close behind, including added pressure at the Memmen Ridge Open Space access.
A notice issue also surfaced. Staff explained that the mailed-notice radius changed partway through the project's review: earlier rounds went to property owners within 500 feet, while the most recent round went to 1,500 feet. That accounts for why some residents said they'd only recently learned about a project that has been in process for some time.
We're not naming the residents who spoke. They're private citizens who showed up to a public meeting, and the themes matter more than the names.
The traffic study
SM Rocha prepared the traffic impact study for the application. Staff said it was prepared in compliance with the town's Transportation Design Criteria Manual and Transportation Master Plan, using the methodologies the town applies in development review.
One thing worth attributing rather than asserting: the study's base traffic counts date to 2021, revised in January 2025, with growth projected forward at 2% annually over a 20-year horizon. That's the applicant's methodology as presented to the commission, not an independent finding.
How the vote went
The commission recommended approval 6-1.
Voting yes: Chair Todd Warnke, Vice Chair Kevin McHugh, and commissioners Alex Delaney, Tom Martinez, Jeff Samuelson and Mitchell Sawin. Commissioner Carlos Salinas voted no.
Boland offered one framing during the discussion that's useful for context regardless of where you land on the project: what has actually been built in the Young American PD so far is less than the entitlements allowed.
What happens next
Town Council has the final say on the site development plan. As of this writing, a council hearing date had not been announced, and the item was not on the Aug. 18 agenda.
If you want to follow it, the Planning Division can be reached at 720-733-3538. Castle Rock's Planning Commission next meets Sept. 10 — the Aug. 27 meeting was canceled.
This story is based on the Aug. 13, 2026 Castle Rock Planning Commission meeting record. We'll update it when a Town Council date is set.