A record-breaking participation level for a Douglas County survey revealed what residents in the large affluent county south of Denver want more of: sports fields and open space.
Conducted by Hill Research Consultants, the annual citizen survey — which occurred between Aug. 20-27 — interviewed a record 4,052 Douglas County residents on what recreation improvements they want from their taxpayer investments.
County officials said they witnessed a significant increase in demands for more open space and sports complexes.
The majority of those surveyed, 26%, prefer to improve open space and greenery, while 24% of those surveyed prioritized the need for more sports fields and event centers, according to survey results.
Only 5% of those interviewed pointed to traffic and road needs as a priority for county improvements, the survey showed.
The citizen survey honors a 30-year-old county sales tax increase to preserve its recreational features.
In 1994, Douglas County voters approved a .17% sales tax that has helped preserve parks, trails, historic resources and open spaces throughout the county. In 2022, 87% of Douglas County voters approved an extension of that sales tax, which could generate $350 million over 15 years, for open space improvements.
“What citizens may not know is that over 50% of our county is already open space,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon. “And north of 80% of those dollars have historically gone to Castle Rock, and south of Castle Rock. So ensuring that the entire county benefits from this fund equally, is a priority. And then, of course, making sure that we're honoring what we saw in the survey.”
In August’s survey, residents voiced their opinions about present and future spending on parks, trails, historic resources, and open space amenities. Notably, county officials said, residents expressed increased demands in preserving open space and creating more sports fields.
In fact, 69% of those interviewed said they’d prefer to preserve open space over developing new parks. However, the 31% who preferred more sports fields were split 50/50 between adding ballfields (baseball, softball and soccer) versus courts (tennis, pickleball, racquetball, and basketball).
As for larger parks, 71% of Highlands Ranch residents expressed the need for smaller neighborhood parks, while 63% of Castle Rock residents and 67% of Parker residents desired larger regional parks.
The survey showed 38% of residents are interested in a mega-complex of sports fields and facilities large enough to host state, regional or national youth or adult sports events and tournaments.
“There are not enough sports fields in the county,” Laydon said. “We can be hosting tournaments right here.”
Most recently, a proposed development in Pine Canyon Ranch — a 530-acre unincorporated section of Douglas County splitting Castle Rock — drew residents to ask for more sports fields in a residential-based development proposal.
Commissioner George Teal, a former Castle Rock town councilmember, said residents there have been calling for a large sports complex since he became an elected official.
The survey, he said, “tells me what we could probably work on, but we can't go crazy with snapping our fingers and investing tens of millions of dollars overnight. It's going to be a very deliberate plan."
Many residents suggested the addition of an “iconic” larger park or recreation facility. A popular idea among residents was for a larger botanic garden and oasis with flowers, gardens, pools, trails and seasonal events, according to survey results.
“Some citizens might say they want a botanic oasis and others might say a sports village," Laydon said. "There's no reason we can't do both.”
“This data gives me the information I need to go back to a developer and say, we want to do this project,” Teal said. “If the Denver Botanic Gardens came in wanting to expand into Douglas County, I would look at the survey results, and say yes."
In the survey, 65% of residents expressed support to use future sales tax funds for conserving lands along streams and lakes to protect water quality. At the same time, 62% of residents supported preserving scenic views and landscape, according to the survey.
Nearly 80% of all survey respondents said they regularly “use a park, trails, historic resources or open space inside Douglas County.”
That number of residents using park resources and the familiarity with county amenities provided “great confidence” in the survey results, said Dr. David Hill, the lead researcher for Hill Research Consultants.
Commissioner Teal said the survey provided the county ”some really good answers in a very low margin of error.”
That, the commissioner added, “gives us more certainty and proceeding on a project comes before us.”
The survey cost the county $36,663.13, according to a spokesperson.
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