Church purchases available land between Surrey Ridge and Oak Hills neighborhoods
The 12.6 acre parcel of land purchased by Journey Church was part of the historic Happy Canyon Ranch. In 1874, John Schweiger, an Austrian emigrant, purchased the land known as Happy Canyon Ranch. The original Happy Canyon Ranch stretched from the rocky cliffs east of Daniels Park toward Surrey Ridge, then north along modern I-25 to Newlin Gulch. Until a few years ago the ranch sign, Happy Canyon Ranch, stood on the lot purchased by the church.
By Patte Smith; courtesy photos
The previously undeveloped 12.6-acre site at 9009 South Clydesdale Road in unincorporated Douglas County was purchased by Journey Church for $450,000 on April 14.
The plot of pasture land, formerly owned by Castle Pines Community Church (now Foundry Church), is located on the west side of south Clydesdale Road between Surrey Ridge and Oak Hills. The parcel is zoned as “large rural residential” (LRR) according to a Douglas County planning staff member.
Currently, Journey Church has two locations, one in Centennial and the other in Castle Rock. Information on the church’s website states that “weekend attendance has grown from 600 to 750 worshippers in the past 18 months.” The need for a new location is necessary for the growth of the church, and the lease of their current building in Centennial ends in February, 2016.
Journey Church Pastor Scotty Priest stated, “We are excited about our purchase of the site and we do plan to build a church there in the future for our Centennial location. We are still in the very beginning stages of developing plans for the church.”
A zoning staff member in Douglas County confirmed that a new revised site plan for the church was submitted to the county in March of 2015. The new site plan features revisions to the building elevation plans previously submitted by Castle Pines Community Church a few years ago.
As of press time, no additional information was available. The Connection will continue to keep readers updated on the status of the project.
