Planning work has begun for another new park in CPN.

Conceptual Drawing of "Castle View Park"

CPN’s 1999 Recreation Master Plan called for two major new parks in our community:

• an 8-acre “north park” (Coyote Ridge Park, which opened in 2001),
• and a 20-acre Castle View (which is now being planned).

Both of these parks are funded by CPN’s Parks Authority. A small 2-acre park is being built in the Daniels Gate area; construction costs are being funded by the Daniels Gate developers.

These parks, plus the existing 4-acre Retreat Park, will all be maintained by the CPN Metro District, and are open to all residents. (Some neighborhood HOA’s also have private playgrounds that can be used only by their members.) Planning is beginning now on the new “south park.”

Where will the new park be located?

This park will be located in the area just east of CPN’s homes - north of Castle Pines Parkway, between the Community Center and the Montessori School. The access road will be from the new intersection of the Parkway and the new LaGae Road (next to the King Soopers). See map.

What’s the name of the park?

As was done with Coyote Ridge Park, CPN residents will have a chance to name the park. In the meantime, the working name is Castle View Park.

Do we need to buy land?

Most of the land will be transferred to CPN without cost. Some of the parcels currently belong to Douglas County, and there are also two parcels that are currently zoned commercial that the developer has agreements to deed over to CPN. One parcel, north of the Community Center, is currently owned by a church. This lot is zoned for “community” use, and it is not large enough to build a church. Negotiations are underway to purchase that lot; the funds for this purchase are in this year’s Parks Authority budget.

What will be in the Castle View Park?

This hasn’t been decided yet. A citizen committee is being formed to help define what type of amenities should be in the park. More specifics on the process and schedule for planning the park will be available this summer. To date, a map has been drawn that identifies the boundaries of the park, and shows one park-planner’s ideas of what might be in the park (see map); and some initial ideas on desired amenities were obtained at the public meetings in April and May.

What about the potential recreation center?

The site for the potential recreation center is located in the Castle View Park. The park will be built whether or not the Recreation Center is approved; the park is part of the commitment that CPN has made to implement our Recreation Master Plan.

How will the park be paid for?

Both Coyote Ridge Park and the new Castle View Park are funded by CPN’s Parks Authority, which combines funds from area developers, Master HOA dues, and fundraisers.

From the inception of the Parks Authority through the end of 2002, developers’ fees have contributed more than $1.6 million to our parks fund. This represents about three-quarters of the Parks Authority’s funds, with Master HOA dues contributing about 20%, and the balance coming from fundraisers and interest income. These funds provided enough cash to build Coyote Ridge Park, with some money remaining to get a start on the new Castle View Park, but additional funds are needed to complete it.

At this point, we have already received most of the developer fees that are expected. HOA dues were kept at a low level during the time that the developer fees were covering the cash requirements, but now we will need to rely more heavily on Master HOA dues. There was discussion last Fall was that if CPN were to build a recreation center, the additional funds needed to complete the Castle View Park could be included in the financing for the rec center. However, since there has not been a decision on the rec center, we must begin funding the park on a ?cash? basis.

Master Association HOA dues for the year 2002 are $216. This averages approximately $18 per month, with $12.60 of that being allocated to the Parks Authority. At this funding level, we could expect to accumulate the cash required to compete the Castle View Park in 2005. If Master HOA dues had remained at last year’s level, the completion date would have stretched out until 2007. If there is a decision to move forward with the rec center, we can return to the idea of including the balance needed for the park in the financing package.

What’s the schedule for opening the park?

This will be set once plans are finalized, and decisions can be made about what makes sense for doing the park in phases. The goal is to begin working on the park in 2003.

How can I participate?

A citizen committee is being formed to help with planning the park. Send an e-mail to recreation@castlepinesnorth.org, or call Judy Dahl at (303) 688-8550.