The City of Castle Pines has been made aware of intentional, inaccurate, and potentially politically-motivated misinformation being published regarding Monarch Boulevard. All communications suggesting that Monarch Boulevard will be converted to four lanes are false, and there are no past or planned City considerations to widen Monarch to four lanes. For more information, please visit the City’s Road Solutions webpage.
For further information or questions, please contact Larry Nimmo, Public Works Director, or your City Council – click here to find your representatives.
Contact:
Larry Nimmo, Public Works Director
larry.nimmo@staging.castlepinesco.gov
303-705-0216
720-467-2678
UPDATE AS OF 10/26/21:
The City of Castle Pines has been made aware of continued intentional, inaccurate, and potentially politically motivated misinformation being published regarding Monarch Boulevard. All communications suggesting that Monarch Boulevard will be converted to four lanes are FALSE, and there are no past or planned City considerations to widen Monarch to four lanes.
The City has received numerous requests for more information. In short, the City has no plans to widen Monarch Blvd. to accommodate additional traffic lanes. If you’d like to learn more about the history of this issue, please read on.
November 2007 – Castle Pines residents vote to incorporate as Colorado's newest municipality. According to Doug Gilbert, a member of the Castle Pines North Preservation Committee (A citizen-led committee formed to evaluate and support incorporation) – “Widening of Monarch and speed limit on Castle Pines Parkway were very specific topics of concern at the time. One of the reasons we incorporated was to keep Monarch from being 4-lanes and be able to make local decisions on speed limits throughout the community.”
2007 to 2009 – Over many months, Douglas County planning staff worked to update the 2001 Comprehensive Master Plan. This planning effort, known as the 2030 Comprehensive Master Plan, addressed nearly all areas of growth and development in unincorporated areas of the County. Since Douglas County completed the bulk of the master plan prior to the City's incorporation, the County’s master plan shows Monarch as a 4-lane road. Prior to the City’s incorporation, decisions for Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch were under the County’s jurisdiction. From the date of incorporation to today, those planning decisions reside solely with the Castle Pines city government. The County's 2030 plan is obsolete and was replaced by the County's 2040 plan in 2019. (see link under September 2019)
2010 to 2017 – Former City Mayor Jeff Huff shares the following information: “Throughout my tenure as Mayor (2010-2017), the Castle Pines City Council worked diligently and consistently to reduce adverse traffic impacts on the Castle Pines community. At no time did City Council contemplate widening Castle Pines Parkway or Monarch Boulevard.”
May 23, 2017 - City Council adopts the Castle Pines Master Transportation Plan. This plan specifically outlines the goals and objectives of City leadership consistent with the Castle Pines Comprehensive Plan. The Master Transportation Plan provides guidance for roadway elements including lane widths, medians, bicycle, pedestrian infrastructure, and crossing and intersection spacing. Notably, it does not mention widening any existing roads in Castle Pines. This plan is still the currently adopted Master Transportation Plan.
September 2019 – Douglas County completes their 2040 Transportation Master Plan which intentionally excludes details about the future of the City of Castle Pines roadway system. All decisions regarding public roads within the City limits are the sole purview of the City Council. All incorporated cities and towns within Douglas County are excluded from the County’s latest Transportation Master Plan.
November 2020 - Castle Pines residents vote not to approve ballot measure 2A, which asks voters to allow the City to bond for Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard repair and reduce the anticipated number of years it would take to complete the work.
August 24, 2021 – The Mayor and City Council request a $3 million partnership with Douglas County for the repair and rehabilitation of Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard in 2022. The memo was written to justify a financial ask and did not discuss the design of any particular improvement. The result of this ask and partnership between the County and the City is that both jurisdictions’ proposed budgets reflect a $3 million contribution from the County to help with the Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch repair. This partnership does not give the County any authority over the planning and design of the roads nor has the County attempted to influence plans for roads within the City.
September 30, 2021 – The staff-proposed Roads Solution plan includes two road projects for 2022 – Castle Pines Parkway from Yorkshire to Village Square Lane and Monarch Boulevard from Winter Berry Place to the City’s northern border. The proposed cross-sections for both roads can be found here: https://www.staging.castlepinesco.gov/road-solutions/. The specific proposed improvements for Monarch include rehabilitation of the drive lanes, improving the bike lanes from six to eight feet, and improving the overall drainage.
September 30, 2021 – The City Manager 2022 Proposed Budget includes funding requests that mirror the proposed Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard cross-section identified in the Roads Solution.
October 22, 2021 – The Castle Pines North Metropolitan District makes a false claim via a district-wide email ‘alert’ that the City is “quietly” planning "to convert Monarch Boulevard into a four-lane I-25 by-pass". The City did not receive any questions on the validity of the statements from the Castle Pines North Metropolitan District prior to these false statements being published. This misinformation continues to be posted on the CPNMD website.
October 25, 2021 – In response to the false statements from the CPNMD, Council Member Mulvey, District 1 Representative, stated “As District 1 Representative, the safety, condition, and appearance of North Monarch is something I discuss with residents, fellow Council Members, and regional elected officials on a regular basis. I’ve now confirmed with a majority of Council Members that they have no intention to propose or support 4 lanes of traffic on Monarch.” Mayor Pro Tem Coudeyras says “as a District 1 Representative for 5-years, I have never heard any consideration by Council, staff or anyone else to make Monarch a 4-lane road. I would never support that and neither would Council or staff.” Lastly, Council Member Rants stated “The topic of repairing our roads has been the most discussed and publicly debated topic in the two years I have been on City Council. In the process of discussing roads funding, the 2020 ballot measure, and the review and update of our City’s Comprehensive Plan, there has been no discussion of adding additional lanes to Monarch. The City’s plan for infrastructure is transparent and publicly available on the City’s website. Our City’s guiding documents are publicly available, the list of current development activity is publicly available, our meetings are open to the public, fully recorded, and part of the public record. I’m not clear on how the Metro District claims of negotiations with the county are supported by fact. Even the County’s 2019 master plan excludes discussion of widening Monarch. I, along with the Mayor and my fellow Council Members, are focused on the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and maintenance of our existing roads, adding bike lanes where they are needed, improving drainage and other improvements, and fundamentally investing in the infrastructure we have. Our Road Solutions action plan lays out that vision clearly and I’m excited to see the progress towards that goal.”
October 26, 2021 – City staff will present the proposed 2022 budget during a City Council Study Session for Council discussion and direction.
We are deeply concerned that false and misleading statements have caused confusion for members of the community and valuable time for City staff to rectify these false statements. As always, the best place to get accurate and up-to-date information about City projects, events, and happenings is the City of Castle Pines website.
For further information or questions regarding the Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard repair, please contact Larry Nimmo, Public Works Director at Larry.nimmo@staging.castlepinesco.gov, or your City Council –visit https://www.staging.castlepinesco.gov/city-services/mayor-and-city-council/meet-city-council/ to find your representatives.
