DENVER– A privately funded and much awaited effort to address transportation concerns in the rapidly growing Chatfield Valley is finally coming to fruition through the efforts of Sterling Ranch Development and Douglas County. On Tuesday, November 13, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved plans for the Waterton Boulevard Infrastructure Development Agreement.
The plans include Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board extending Waterton Blvd. from Rampart Range Road to Moore Road, and offering a connection to the Southern Connector from Moore Road to Santa Fe that Douglas County is undertaking. Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board will provide funding, based on the ongoing successful development of the community.
“Since our initial submittal of our Preliminary Plan Filing 3 twenty-one months ago, our team has had the opportunity to work with the Douglas County staff to address many of the issues that exist in the Chatfield Valley which could only be solved with a willing private sector partner such as Sterling Ranch,” said Harold Smethills of Sterling Ranch Development. “We participated in numerous community meetings with Roxborough residents and listened to their concerns. The one prevailing message that we heard time and again from the Roxborough community was related to transportation and connectivity throughout the Chatfield Valley. We’re looking forward providing a solution that has been on the Douglas County Master Plan for many years but without the funding or partner to solve it.”
The Agreement includes the following phases and timelines:
o The extension of Waterton Boulevard shall be constructed as a two-lane section with the necessary intersection improvements at Rampart Range Road, Roxborough Park
Road, and Moore Road in accordance with the Douglas County Roadway Design and Construction Standards or the Sterling Ranch Roadway Design Standards.
o The Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board will start and fund the construction of the project within 120 days of the County’s approval of a final plat within Sterling Ranch that requires such infrastructure, but no later than December 31, 2020.
o The project will be completed within a three-year time frame projected to be December 31, 2023 or as otherwise reasonably determined by Sterling Ranch and Douglas County in writing.
“Our organization has long been an advocate for the Waterton Extension and Southern Connector. This important addition to the mobility network in our region will help residents and employees travel safer and more efficiently. We applaud Sterling Ranch for leading the effort and partnering with Douglas County to build the Waterton Extension for everyone’s benefit and for being the catalyst in solving so many of the regional issues such as water and transportation that have existed in the Chatfield Valley for many years,” said Amy Sherman, CEO of the Northwest Douglas County Economic Development Corporation.
