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Douglas County - Exurbia or 'ghost places?'

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Contributed by: Francis Miller on 11/17/2005

   Hardly a day goes by that land use and excessive growth are not
discussed. Douglas County was once a ranch-land rural landscape,
punctuated by highway intersections. In less than 20 years it has
transformed into a mixture of urban pods and rural enclaves. Old stage
stops, like Parker, have morphed into "exurbia" towns. And the pastoral
grazing lands of historic ranches, such as that portrayed in James
Michener's Centennial have become "invented-cities" such as Highlands
Ranch. Front and center in the debate is what should we do about places like Franktown, which have a history stretching back to our gold-mining
roots.
   These places typically have fractionalized ownership, local
merchants and they have evolved organically over a long period of time.
These places do not have quaint old Victorian buildings like Central
City but are a hodgepodge of farm implement dealerships, gas stations
and local cafes. Their look and feel are hard on the eyes, but are
preferred by newcomers and old-timers alike who are offended by the look
and feel of places like Parker and Castle Rock.
   They are also surrounded by deeply entrenched and highly organized groups of gentrified, large-lot owners who have assumed a no-growth posture. Are no-growth policies to cause, by default, these places to degrade into "ghost places" or will we encourage them to become some new type of "exurban" micro-town?
   Developers submitting applications try to appease homeowner opposition
groups by promising a pedestrian-friendly, rural village that looks like
something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. However, you seldom get what is hoped for because real world economics, driven by market forces,
demands cinder-block office warehouses and a homogenized look. Even more threatening are the BigBox and franchise stores who, to continue
growing, are developing micronized versions of their retailing concepts.
In the end this will decimate the local merchants for whom the
development was supposed to benefit.
   If the headwaters of Cherry Creek and the other tributaries of the South
Platte River are not to be endangered from septic tank pollution and if
the aquifers are not to be emptied from the drilling of a thousand new
wells, places such as Franktown must have centralized infrastructure
such as water and sewer if they are to be allowed to grow. But, these
systems have high entry-level costs and even higher ongoing operating
costs.
   They have to be financed by special municipal districts and
interest that double a project’s cost over its life. This harsh reality
creates an almost unsolvable dilemma. If a small village needs an
additional 500 sewer and water taps to make water and sewer feasible how
do you protect the rural charm of the place. Experience in Parker proves
that the look and feel is irreversibly damaged by tracts of
single-family residences.
   The market will not buy 1,200 square foot houses on small lots, common in older farm communities. Even compromises such as 40 modern homes on 2.5 acre lots will shatter the ambience of a rustic rural place. Equally frustrating to those of us trying to mediate a compromise solution is that citizen opposition groups are vehemently against multi-family and affordable housing. Such housing could be put on a much smaller footprint and would allow for large open space and transition areas surrounding the town and may be the only finesse-option available.
   I am beginning to wonder if these issues are capable of being resolved
in a win-win manner. Given the position of self-interested stakeholder
groups it is more likely that conflict will continue at some chronic,
low level, erupting into hysteria whenever a developer application
surfaces for public hearing.
   In the end, I believe our inability to achieve consensus and set a
course for self-determination will be probably be decided for us by the
mother of all issues-- population and job growth. If in-migration and
job growth in Colorado is incremental and only impacted by the business
cycle, then we can expect in-migration to be chilled at some point.
   You would think there are only so many people who can sell their bungalows in California and parachute into Douglas County without a job. But, there are also alternative scenarios in which population could make a
quantum leap-terrorism, earthquakes or pandemics. Then the resolution of
these questions will be forced upon us in a very painful way. At present
we have the luxury of indulging ourself in bickering.

   Francis M. Miller was on the Douglas County Planning Commission and a member of the Colorado Infrastructure 2050 Committee. He has lived in the Pinery since 1976 and is a professional management consultant with
Lone Tree Management Group. His opinions are his own.

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