City’s defeated urban renewal authority; Wrapping up one year later
by Elizabeth Wood West
May marks the one-year anniversary of the city’s formation of its much debated and controversial urban renewal authority (URA). May also marks the six-month time frame for the commission to wrap up final business following the citizen vote in November to abolish the URA.
According to Ward 3 City Councilman and primary proponent of the URA, Doug Gilbert, the ordinance to abolish the URA was self-executing and the city is not required to take any further action after the election results were certified in November.
Gilbert stated that the URA Commission has scheduled a formal winding up of affairs on May 9 to ensure that certain certifications can be made after the six months time frame is up.
When asked if the city will pursue a new URA and what areas of Castle Pines might be included, Gilbert responded, “I am not aware of any efforts to form a new URA, nor do I believe that it is possible at this time.” He continued, “As there is no action regarding a new URA and no sensible potential to ‘start over,’ the answer would be none,” he said.
When queried about Castle Pines’ economic future, Gilbert commented, “There certainly was and is a need for a vehicle to channel investment into our commercial area. Other financing vehicles that could be used by the commercial area include a downtown development area (DDA), business improvement districts (BIDs), and local improvement districts (LIDs). The decision to use these vehicles, however, rests with the property owners and lessees of the commercial district. No actions have been taken by the city, however, to establish these authorities or districts,” he stated.
For information about the final May 9 URA Commission meeting, visit www.cpngov.com and click on “City Council.”
