Where it stands
The road goes to City Council on November 17
The Planning Commission recommended approval of the road and the booster pump station on October 13. City Council makes the final decision on November 17. The 343 houses they serve have no hearing date.
The open question
Will the plans be redrawn to the wildfire code?
The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code took effect July 1, 2026. The developer resubmitted the road application July 21, after the code took effect. No vested rights determination has been issued. The code applies.
The City can schedule hearings on the house plans as drawn, or it can send them out for another round of agency comments under the code now in force. We will ask staff which path they plan to take.
The road is moving first
The developer resubmitted the road alone on July 21, 2026, after staff had lined up all four applications to be reviewed and heard together. The road and the pump station are now ahead of the houses, with Council set to decide them first. The wildfire code’s construction standards apply to the houses, so the road can move ahead without them.
Current status
The road and pump station go to City Council
The Planning Commission recommended approval of both 7-0 on October 13, the road with conditions, though public comment ran overwhelmingly against them. The hearing ran until 11:30 p.m., and the pump station was not heard until about 10 p.m.
| Application | Stage | Hearing scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| RG24-0007 | Second round of comments, City staff review | Not set |
| SB25-0009 | Second round of comments, City staff review | Not set |
| SB25-0010 | Second round of comments, City staff review | Not set |
| SB25-0014, the road | Recommended for approval with conditions, October 13 | City Council, November 17, 2026 |
| USR25-0002 / SP25-0023, the pump station | Recommended for approval, October 13 | City Council, November 17, 2026 |
The Council first set the hearing for November 3, Election Day, and moved it to November 17 after residents objected. RG24-0007, SB25-0009 and SB25-0010 have no hearing date.
The official file is what the City decides from
Staff reports, agency comments and public comments all go into one record, and City Council decides from it. A comment filed before the vote matters.
Send a specific, factual letter to the City Clerk at cityclerksoffice@cityoflonetree.com and ask that it go in the record for SB25-0014 and USR25-0002 / SP25-0023 and be provided to the Mayor and Council.
The record so far
From the 2000 annexation election to today
Aug 29, 2000
Annexation election certified
824 yes, 606 no, out of 1,430 ballots cast. Ordinances 00-05 through 00-08 adopted.
Oct 9, 2025
The Save the Lone Tree Bluffs petition launches
Residents begin organizing around the proposal and collecting signatures.
Nov 7, 2025
CBS Colorado reports on the proposal
Broadcast coverage of neighborhood concerns about the development.
Dec 4, 2025
Colorado Politics covers a community rally
Coverage of a rally on the bluffs by residents opposed to the plan.
Jan 8, 2026
The first round of public and agency comments opens
City departments, outside agencies and the public may file written comments.
Jan 19, 2026
Colorado Parks and Wildlife files comments
CPW raises raptor and golden eagle concerns, including nest buffers and seasonal restrictions.
Jan 30, 2026
The Colorado Geological Survey finds the studies too thin
CGS concludes the ground investigation, analysis and documentation are not enough to show the road can be built and kept safe across mapped landslide ground.
Feb 4, 2026
South Metro Fire Rescue files a conditional comment letter
The fire district identifies open code violations, and the letter is conditional.
Feb 10, 2026
The first round of comments closes
Agency and public comments on the first submittal are now in the official file.
Feb 11, 2026
The City tells the developer to answer all the comments at once
Staff direct the developer to write one combined response to the comments filed.
Mar 27, 2026
Resubmittal 2 filed
A revised packet, including response letters and updated technical reports.
Apr 7 and 21, 2026
Lone Tree adopts the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code
First reading April 7, second reading April 21.
May 14, 2026
A community meeting draws a large turnout
Residents from Surrey Ridge and nearby neighborhoods attend.
May 15, 2026
A fatal crash closes I-25 for more than four hours
The closure between Happy Canyon and Castle Pines held traffic on these roads for hours. This project would add traffic to the same corridor.
May 26, 2026
Deadline for the second round of comments
Detailed legal comments are filed alongside more than 150 resident letters.
Jun 16, 2026
City Council meets in executive session on a Hillcamp development agreement
The minutes record an executive session for “instructing negotiators regarding: 1) a proposed development agreement for the Hillcamp development.” Sessions of that kind are lawful, and no decision can be made in one. Our concern is that height variances, landslide mitigation, wildfire maintenance, traffic and wildlife are being settled in a document the public has not seen.
Jul 1, 2026
The Wildfire Resiliency Code takes effect in Lone Tree
Because the project is not approved, it must meet the new code.
Late Jul 2026
The developer resubmits the road by itself
On July 21, 2026 the applicant resubmitted the road alone, with revised ground studies on July 31. Those documents are now public in the October hearing packet.
July to September 2026
Four Planning Commission meetings in a row are canceled
July 28, August 25, September 8 and September 22. Staff have said they are working toward hearings in late fall.
Aug 20 and 21, 2026
The State geologist and City staff respond
The Colorado Geological Survey no longer objects to the plat but says the ground study “remains preliminary” and its concern about weakened ground is not fully addressed. Staff repeat that a minimum safety factor of 1.5 is required and that the Subdivision Improvement Agreement must be final before the Council hearing.
September 2026
Latest submittal on the road
A September 4 ground study, still marked preliminary, says a 1.3 safety factor is acceptable. A new maintenance plan schedules mowing twice a year, trash and sediment removal, and an annual erosion check. The packet for the October 13 hearing is posted.
Sep 30, 2026
The developer’s lawyers file a letter
A nine page letter calls the opposition a special interest coalition and argues our concerns do not apply. It does not answer them.
Oct 13, 2026
The Planning Commission recommends the road and pump station
Lone Tree residents, The Retreat and Surrey Ridge asked the Commission to table both and decide them with the houses. Public comment ran overwhelmingly against both applications. The Commission recommended the road with conditions and the pump station, 7-0, at 11:30 p.m. The pump station came up at about 10 p.m., after many residents had left.
Oct 20, 2026
CPSR meeting at Journey
Time to be announced.
Nov 17, 2026
City Council hearing on the road and pump station
Council makes the final decision on the record. The hearing moved here from Election Day. The houses still need their own hearings.
The process
How the process works
1. Agencies review it and send comments
The City sends the application to its own departments and to outside agencies. Those include the fire district, the water and sanitation district, the Colorado Geological Survey, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, CDOT and Douglas County. Each one files written comments. The developer answers them and can file a revised plan. The three house applications are still at this stage after a second round in March 2026. The road had further submittals in July and September, went to the Planning Commission on its own on October 13, and now goes to City Council.
2. Staff report
Once staff consider the application complete, they prepare a report analyzing it against the Comprehensive Plan, the zoning ordinances, and the applicable codes. They recommend approval, approval with conditions, or denial. It is published in advance of the Planning Commission packet.
3. Planning Commission public hearing and recommendation
The Planning Commission holds a noticed public hearing, takes testimony, and forwards a recommendation to City Council. The Commission is not bound by the staff recommendation.
4. City Council public hearing and decision
City Council holds its own public hearings and decides, bound by neither the staff report nor the Planning Commission recommendation. In Resolution 22-05, Council unanimously denied an application on Comprehensive Plan grounds despite a staff recommendation of approval.
Each application has its own comment record
RG24-0007, SB25-0009, SB25-0010, and SB25-0014 are separate applications. A comment on one is not automatically part of the file on the others. The City keeps a project page for each at cityoflonetree.com/projects/.
How to know when something is scheduled
The road and pump station are set for City Council on November 17. Subscribe so you get notice of any change to that date and of the hearings on the houses.
- Meeting notifications. Subscribe to agenda and meeting notices through the City’s portal at cityoflonetree.community.diligentoneplatform.com.
- The meeting calendar. Planning Commission and City Council meeting dates are published at cityoflonetree.com/events/.
Notice goes out about five to seven days before a meeting. Write early so your comment is in the packet.
The official file is open right now
City Council decides on November 17. Put your name in the record before it votes.
