Douglas County Accepts 84th Amendment for Highlands Ranch Lucent Station

Douglas County marked active acceptance of the Highlands Ranch Planned Development 84th Amendment, case ZR2026-002, on February 6, 2026, moving a contentious set of land-use changes further into the county review process. The filing is tied in local reporting to two strands of action: a board decision to add planning area 66-A near S. Cresthill Lane and Adelaide Circle for limited non-urban uses, and a larger Highlands Ranch Community Association proposal to modify parts of the Backcountry Wilderness Area for equestrian and outdoor education facilities.

The county project page shows ZR2026-002 as accepted, but the county summary available online is truncated and does not give a full location or use list. Local coverage following planning commission and board review reported that the board approved a major amendment adding planning area 66-A to the Highlands Ranch Planned Development, allowing potential uses such as schools, parks and playgrounds, and passive and active recreational uses including recreation centers. Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle said the intention “is not to put commercial development on the site, but rather to create more space for the nearby residents.” Highlands Ranch reporting also noted that “for a couple of decades, a piece of land has sat vacant” near S. Cresthill Lane and Adelaide Circle, and that “the school district’s letter also asked that any proceeds from the sale of the property be provided to the school district.” The amendment text cited in local reporting adds that if the site is not developed as a school it “will remain available for public benefit and be used for limited recreational uses like a ‘low‑intensity park or open space.’”

Separately, the Highlands Ranch Community Association has sought a major amendment to allow facilities in parts of the Backcountry Wilderness Area east of U.S. Highway 85 along Ron King Trail adjacent to the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility. The HRCA plan described in reporting includes a 20‑acre equestrian center and a 45‑acre outdoor education area for preschools, camps, community events and administration. The proposal would involve a land-swap of 65 acres of developable acreage from the east end of the Open Space Conservation Area and relocate that development footprint, HRCA materials reported. The county has described planning area K as a 20-acre parcel that could allow an equestrian center, stables and an indoor arena with no single structure to exceed 20,000 square feet.

County staff and stakeholders flagged practical constraints and environmental reviews that will shape the next steps. A county summary cited consultation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which said it “creates a net benefit for wildlife.” A county spokesperson quoted as Bailey said “The amendment is modest in scale,” and added that “Placing amenities in this site avoids impacting higher quality wildlife habitat elsewhere in our Backcountry acreage,” noting the change affects less than 1% of the Backcountry Wilderness Area and “will move allowed uses to a more appropriate area within its acreage.” Highlands Ranch Water told county staff the proposed planning areas are outside its district boundaries and “would require execution of a water service agreement.”

The changes touch longstanding Highlands Ranch development commitments. The Highlands Ranch Planned Development includes roughly 8,530 acres in its planning area and reserves roughly 20 square miles, about 60 percent of the original community, as Nonurban Area. Neighbors have objected to modifying open-space designations, citing views, wildlife corridors and a conservation agreement “which has been in place for well nearly 50 years,” as resident Monte Moore put it: “This is an elk migration corridor, and we see elk and deer on a weekly basis in our yard, in the street, and it's awesome, and that's one of the main draws.”

County acceptance of ZR2026-002 advances the amendments into formal project review and site planning. Next steps identified in local reporting include site improvement plan review, additional outreach to adjacent subdivisions, and negotiation of utility and conservation conditions that will determine whether the amendments deliver the public benefits proponents describe or create longer term impacts on open space, wildlife and school funding.