Macanta homeowners continue to fight for promised open space

Residents in the Macanta neighborhood in Douglas County aren't giving up their fight to protect the views they say they were promised.

The community is just northeast of Castle Rock, off Crowfoot Valley Road. Homeowners say they were sold on the idea of protected open space. But now, the developer wants to build more homes.

Neighbors say they paid a higher lot fee to live among nature and were told this 23-acre parcel of land would remain undeveloped, even as another neighborhood was set to be built on the other side of a nearby ridge. However, the developer is now proposing building 21 homes on the parcel.

Every morning, Sheridan Lofman enjoys the view from her Macanta home.

"There were dozens of elk there the other day," said Lofman. "We have so much wildlife in Macanta, it's beautiful here."

She doesn't know how long it will be there, as efforts to develop the land she says she was told would remain open space continue.

"From my home, you can see there's gonna be a big cul-de-sac there," said Lofman, indicating on a map where the homes are set to be developed.

The 23 acres are part of land annexed and rezoned in 2023 to become "Canyons Far South."

However, maps on the Macanta website and Crowfoot Valley Metro District still listed the parcel as part of Macanta this year. Those maps changed shortly after CBS Colorado's initial report.

Hines, the developer for both Macanta and Canyons Far South, says they never made any guarantees that the land would remain undeveloped, and the maps are for illustrative purposes only. But Lofman says they were used to market homes.

"The advertisements on their website, posts in our clubhouse, people made homebuying decisions based on the open space that was advertised," said Lofman.

Hines executives sit on the board of the Crowfoot Valley Metro District. The district's website also had "official documents" showing a boundary map that included the parcel until earlier this year.

Since our initial story, other neighbors have reached out to CBS News Colorado saying they were victims of the same bait and switch in the neighborhood.

Lofman has had meetings with Hines and the Town of Castle Rock. "Hines has said that they're gonna look into options. But again, when I had that conversation, they reminded me they had property rights and that those were high-value lots for them. So I don't know if things are gonna change, it's just my hope they will," said Lofman.

She started an online petition to save the land from development; it has over 500 signatures and comments of support from neighbors. "If Hines will do this to me and my neighbors, how are they gonna treat the other residents of Castle Rock in their next development?" said Lofman.

She wants to protect the nature and views she chose as her backyard, as well as her property values.

"Hines is a multibillion-dollar company based out of Texas; their offices here are in Denver. But here in Castle Rock, we care about things like preserving open space and retaining our home values, things that would be negatively impacted if Hines builds homes on land that Hines previously disclosed to me and Macanta as part of our open space," said Lofman.

Lofman contacted the Attorney General of Colorado's Office and believes Hines' actions violate state consumer protection law.

"It's my hope that if Hines doesn't of their own volition resolve this issue, that the Attorney General will get involved," said Lofman.

The Town of Castle Rock told CBS News Colorado, "Canyons Far South is still under Site Development Plan review with the Town. We are actively working with all parties to seek a mutually acceptable outcome and expect to have a proposal from the developer in the coming weeks."

The plan is for nearly 500 homes and over 200 acres of open space. However, the Town says the 23-acre parcel was never designated as open space.

A Hines spokesperson told CBS News Colorado, "We are working closely with the Town of Castle Rock to advance the Site Development Plan for Canyons Far South, which is an ongoing process. We intend to develop the site based on the approved Planned Development zoning. Hines takes great pride in the development of its master-planned communities, and we are committed to delivering an exceptional community and new housing to the area's residents."