Castle Rock council approves Crystal Valley Ranch zoning despite neighbors' buffer concerns

Council members narrowly approved a rezoning measure for a parcel adjacent to Rhyolite Park after residents pressed for a larger setback from new homes.

Susan McAfee, a Crystal Valley resident, told the council she and 40 neighbors had petitioned for a wider buffer and objected to the swap of roughly 0.919 acres that, she said, resulted in a 15-foot buffer for some homes while giving the developer wider space on other edges. "The developer should be providing at least a 45-foot wide buffer, if not more," McAfee said, handing the council a hand-drawn alternative plan she said would eliminate four lots and increase protections for existing homeowners.

Staff attorney Tara Vargas and other staff said the item before council was a zoning action tied to a memorandum of understanding approved Oct. 21 and that specific buffering, tree plantings and other mitigation measures are set at the later site development plan stage. Vargas said the MOU already laid out "option 3," which shifts developable area 45 feet to the west and obligates additional public land dedication on the east; she said the site development plan will address the detailed layout and increased buffers.

Council debated whether to reopen the earlier agreement or leave the MOU intact. Councilmember Dietz initially moved to approve the ordinance with conditions derived from McAfee's plan but later rescinded the motion to allow the council to follow the established MOU process. The final motion to adopt the ordinance "as introduced by title" passed 5-2 (Hollingshead, Bracken, Davis, Brooks and Mayor Gray voted yes; Dietz and Mayor Pro Tem Kavey voted no).

Town officials said they expect the developer to present the site development plan that will show the detailed lot layout and buffering. Vargas emphasized that the zoning approval enables the next step in the process but does not itself finalize the precise buffers residents requested.

The council's action closes the zoning question for now; staff and the developer will return with the site development plan and mitigation details required by the previously negotiated MOU.