BACKGROUND | The town’s Board of Trustees will decide tonight whether to de-annex a subdivision whose residents generally oppose a plan to add 35,000 homes over the next century.
Watkins – The town has yet to celebrate its second birthday, but battles over growth are pitting neighbor against neighbor, prompting a vote tonight on whether to kick out 70 households that make up a major voting bloc.
Watkins, a town of 1,700, incorporated less than two years ago in an effort to avoid being overwhelmed by its fast- growing neighbor to the west, Aurora.
But now, it’s Watkins that is looking to grow. Plans call for the town of nearly 6,000 acres to quadruple in size and add 35,000 homes over the next century.
That has residents worried.
Some have called for the town to be dissolved, while others want Watkins to remain incorporated so the growth can be controlled. The town’s Board of Trustees will consider whether to de-annex the Prairie View subdivision, home to many residents who are fighting future development.
By ousting Prairie View, the town could be left with a majority of residents who favor expansion.
In essence, leaders may be deciding whether to shrink the town now so it can grow later.
“Growth is bound to happen,” said Town Administrator Stuart McArthur. “The little town of Watkins isn’t going to be immune. If it stays as it is, Adams (County), Arapahoe (County) or Aurora will determine how the town grows and looks.”
Nevertheless, some residents fear the town is colluding with developers, who own 8,244 acres outside of town and gave the town $500,000 last year and have agreed to pay nearly $600,000 this year in “pre-annexation fees.”
The developers, part of a group called Watkins Landowners for Responsible Growth, say they want to build a planned community and will have central water sources to provide for it.
In a letter to residents last year, developers explained that they hope Watkins annexes the land and that they want a voice in the town’s long-term development.
With no sales-tax revenue and with voters rejecting two tax-increase proposals last year, Watkins has readily accepted the developers’ financial support.
Those funds make up 72 percent of the town’s $833,335 2006 budget, helping pay McArthur’s $105,000 salary and the $142,200 contract with Adams and Arapahoe counties’ sheriff’s offices.
“We’re a front for developers,” said outgoing Trustee Bob Hastings, who lives in Prairie View. “There is no doubt in my mind that people on the board and Planning Commission had discussions with these developers before there was ever a vote for incorporation.”
Located 22 miles east of Denver, Watkins now has 555 homes, and many of its residents fear major development will dry up groundwater sources, bring in more traffic and crime, and spoil their rural way of life.
“We would be better off in Aurora because at least they have experience and expertise and wouldn’t let developers run over them,” said resident John Schmidt, a department chair at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
McArthur says the 35,000 new homes wouldn’t happen for 100 years. The development group cited studies that say growth will be “slow and steady” with 9,055 homes by 2025.
Residents have gathered signatures for three unsuccessful petition drives: One petition would have revoked the town’s incorporation, another sought to ensure voter approval for the town’s comprehensive plan or any annexation, and a third was a recall of the mayor and a trustee.
Each petition was rejected for technical reasons, such as incorrect wording or an improper notary. Residents hired high-powered Denver lawyer Mark Grueskin to fight the petitions.
Last fall, an informal survey of Prairie View residents found 90 percent wanted to dissolve the town or have their homes de- annexed.
That sentiment changed, Hastings said, noting a recent homeowners’ meeting when residents voted 44-4 to remain in the town. Residents said they want to stay to control how the area is developed. By staying with the city, they can exert that control at the ballot box.
Prairie View has roughly 140 voters who regularly vote, Schmidt said, a significant proportion of the 393 residents who voted in November.
Some Prairie View residents believe town officials want them out because their votes could sway April’s vote, when three of five trustee seats will be up for election. McArthur said tonight’s vote has nothing to do with the election, though, he added, the board is determined to preserve the town charter.
“We’re preserving a rural lifestyle,” he said, “but planning for greater density that will happen whether the town is there or not.”
Due to a reporting error, this story in print originally stated that Watkins officials had hired attorney Mark Grueskin. In fact, he was hired by residents.
