Sterling Ranch no longer is seeking to be annexed into Littleton — not that the city really wanted that anyway.
The developer of the proposed Douglas County project decided Thursday to terminate annexation talks.
Officials for Sterling Ranch — 3,400 acres bounded on the north by Chatfield Reservoir, Plum Creek on the east, Sedalia on the south, and the foothills on the west — said the city’s apparent disinterest in the project led to their decision.
“It became clear there is not a united or cohesive vision for the city,” said Harold Smethills, managing director of Sterling Ranch. “For folks like us, investing billions of dollars over generations, that’s not a comfortable place to be.”
At build-out in 20 years, more than one-third of the land in the project would have been open space. Plans also call for a town center, sports village and schools. It would create 4,000 construction jobs and 9,400 permanent jobs, according to Sterling Ranch officials.
Last week, Sterling Ranch officials made a pitch to the City Council, outlining a project they say would have netted the city a total of $130 million over 20 years and $6 million annually after that.
Among other things, Littleton officials were concerned with the finances of the project.
It would have added about 75 percent more people to the city but generate only a 30 percent increase in sales taxes. It would have also increased the property-tax rate six times the current rate for people who live at Sterling Ranch.
In a Denver Post story on Saturday, Mayor Doug Clark called the proposal a “stupid” idea for Littleton. On Thursday, he reiterated that the plan to add 12,050 homes to the city was a bad idea.
“What they had just didn’t fit Littleton,” Clark said. “The problem was that you had finances that structurally were unfair.”
Although Sterling Ranch said it would not have to rely on Littleton for water, annexing into the city would have solved the project’s current lack of water sources. Sterling Ranch officials say they have secured water for the first several years of the project and are confident they can find a long-term supply.
Sterling Ranch already has submitted an application to be in unincorporated Douglas County. County planners are reviewing the application.
“The things we liked about Littleton were its heritage and commitment to trails and open space and the land,” Smethills said. “All those are things we believe in. That culture, that sense of community, that’s the sense we want to capture at Sterling Ranch.”
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
