STERLING RANCH, Colo. — Crews could break ground on Zebulon, a massive sports complex planned for Sterling Ranch, as soon as August. However, Denver7 is hearing concerns from Douglas County residents about the project's location and what amenities will be included.
According to site plans, Zebulon will be built near Moore Road and Waterton Road.
Renderings for the project include spaces for basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball, football, soccer and hockey, as well as the preservation of more than 400 acres of open space in the area.
Abe Laydon, chairman of the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners, said Zebulon will bring a wealth of amenities to the county, thanks to a voter-approved sales tax for parks.
"We have seen, over time, many of our families traveling to Florida, Georgia, all over the country, Texas, for these great tournaments, because there's no place in Douglas County — and really in Colorado — for them to be able to do that," said Laydon.
Mark Steinke, president of Raptors Athletics, knows field space is hard to come by. He's dealing with the reality of losing fields due to the Douglas County Fairgrounds expansion.
Steinke, who lives in Castle Rock, believes Zebulon isn't the answer.
"The difficulty we have is that it's just so far away... Amazing project, love it, jealous of it, actually, but it just isn't a good solution for what we got going," he said.
Laydon told Denver7 Highlands Ranch was considered for Zebulon but wasn't the right fit.
"All the citizens there really reached out to us during a number of town halls and citizen discussions last year, saying, 'No, no, that's a really important area to preserve as open space,'" Laydon explained.
Mom of four Erin Brill was hoping Zebulon would solve a major issue in Douglas County: a lack of competitive pools.
"The number of messages that I was receiving from families of teams that I help support, going, 'You're kidding me. Still no pool?'" said Brill.
Competition pools are not in the Zebulon project plans. Denver7 asked Commissioner Laydon if Douglas County is working to address that gap.
"We have been in really great conversations with not only Highlands Ranch but also our incorporated areas like Lone Tree Parker, Castle Rock. They have amazing recreational amenities that include pools," said Laydon.
Douglas County is hosting a town hall on April 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Philip S. Mill Building, located at 100 Third Street in Castle Rock, for those interested in learning more about Zebulon and other ongoing park projects.
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