CASTLE ROCK — Douglas County commissioners tonight gave preliminary approval to the Sterling Ranch development, despite concerns by some about water, traffic and how the massive project will affect the quality of life in the Chatfield Basin.
The vote all but ends several years of meetings, public input and revisions by the developer.
When complete, Sterling Ranch, south of Chatfield State Park and east of Roxborough State Park, would be home to 31,000 people and include 12,050 housing units on 3,400 acres.
The approval is subject to technical corrections in the plan, which will be ratified at a meeting May 31. Sterling Ranch officials hope to start moving dirt by next year and building homes in 2013.
“I’m truly excited,” said Harold Smethills, managing director of Sterling Ranch, a project 10 years in the making. “To have it validated, I couldn’t be more excited.”
