The proposed HRWA Plan is the latest step in a planning continuum that began with formal conservation protections in 1980 and has continued through agreements, planning efforts, management plans, committees, community surveys and public involvement for more than four decades.

Since the OSCA Plan was adopted in 2000, several important things have changed:

·       We know more about the land. More than two decades of management, wildlife monitoring and operational experience provide a much more detailed understanding of habitat, wildlife movement, seasonal use, recreation impacts and appropriate locations for public access.

·       The surrounding community has changed. What was once relatively remote open space is now largely surrounded by development, increasing both its conservation importance and recreational use.

·       Community expectations have become clearer. Surveys, committees, public processes and development proposals have repeatedly demonstrated strong support for open space preservation, wildlife habitat, trails, nature-based recreation, environmental education and scenic landscapes.

·       Actual development proposals have provided additional information. Proposals involving Colorado Christian University, Base Camp and Wildcat Regional Park demonstrated that whether a use is technically permitted is only part of the question. The purpose, scale and location of development also matter.

·       The original land-use framework can now be more precise. The proposed Plan more specifically identifies where development may be appropriate and establishes a Core Conservation Area with protections based on current knowledge of conservation value.

The proposed HRWA Plan is the latest step in a planning process that has evolved for more than four decades. This timeline highlights the major agreements, plans, committees, surveys, and public involvement that have shaped the property and its planning framework since the 1980 Conservation Easement.

On May 20, 2025, the HRCA Board of Directors voted to begin an update of the historical OSCA Plan. In June 2025, the OSCA Update Committee began its work reviewing the historical Plan and developing recommendations for an updated Highlands Ranch Wilderness Area Plan.

The Committee brought together representatives with expertise in wildlife, conservation, open space management, wildfire and emergency response, land-use planning, and the history and management of Highlands Ranch. Participating organizations included:

·       South Metro Fire Rescue

·       Colorado Parks and Wildlife

·       Douglas County Open Space

·       Highlands Ranch Community Association / Backcountry Wilderness Area

·       Committee Chair Jeff Kappes

Committee Chair – Jeff Kappes

Jeff Kappes has more than four decades of direct experience with the planning and development of Highlands Ranch. During his career with Mission Viejo Company and Shea Homes, including serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Shea Homes Colorado, Jeff was involved in the development of Highlands Ranch from its early years through community buildout.

The proposed Plan retains the basic structure and intent of the historical OSCA framework but provides greater specificity about what may occur, where it may occur, and at what scale. Many higher-intensity institutional and commercial uses contemplated by the 2000 Plan are removed or narrowed, development opportunities are more specifically matched to individual Planning Areas, and the remainder of the property is placed within a more detailed Core Conservation Area framework.

The following comparisons summarize some of the most significant differences between the 2000 OSCA Plan and the proposed HRWA Plan.

This table provides a simplified overview of how the proposed HRWA Plan compares with the 2000 OSCA Plan, including changes to Planning Areas, conservation lands, permitted uses, and development scale. It is intended as a quick summary of the most significant differences between the two planning frameworks.

This comparison provides a more detailed look at the key differences between the 2000 OSCA Plan and the proposed HRWA Plan. It highlights changes in the overall land-use framework, development scale and permitted uses, as well as the more site-specific conservation framework proposed for the Core Conservation Area.

This table compares examples of the types and scale of development contemplated by the 2000 OSCA Plan with those allowed under the proposed HRWA Plan. It illustrates which uses have been removed, narrowed, retained at a smaller scale, or more specifically located within the proposed framework.

The proposed Plan reconfigures the historical Planning Areas to reflect current ownership, existing uses, conservation values, and more than 25 years of planning and management experience.

Proposed Planning Areas

This map shows the Planning Areas identified in the proposed HRWA Plan. Comparing this map with the historical OSCA Planning Areas illustrates how potential development areas have been reconfigured to reflect current ownership, existing uses, and the updated planning framework.

Historic Planning Areas

This map shows the Planning Areas established under the historical OSCA planning framework. These areas identified portions of the property where various recreational, institutional, public-facility, and other uses could potentially occur under the 2000 OSCA Plan.

Planning Area Evolution

Planning Areas have changed over time as property ownership, existing uses, community needs, and planning priorities have evolved. This table shows how the historical OSCA Planning Areas relate to the Planning Areas in the proposed HRWA Plan, including areas that have been redesignated, expanded, eliminated, or are no longer owned by HRCA.

This table summarizes the acreage within the historical OSCA boundary and the proposed HRWA Plan. Of the 7,675 acres currently owned by HRCA, 670 acres are designated as Planning Areas and 7,005 acres as the Core Conservation Area.

Each Planning Area is intended to accommodate specific types of uses based on its location, existing conditions, and intended purpose. This matrix provides an at-a-glance summary of the site-specific uses identified for each Planning Area in the proposed HRWA Plan; additional common, accessory, and similar-use provisions may also apply.

The Open Space Conservation Area (OSCA) Plan is the land-use and planning framework that has guided the property now known as the Highlands Ranch Wilderness Area (HRWA). The current OSCA Plan was adopted by Douglas County in 2000 and establishes Planning Areas, permitted uses, development standards, and the framework for conservation, recreation, public access, and other uses within the property.

The current Plan is more than 25 years old. Since its adoption, conditions surrounding and within the property have changed significantly. Highlands Ranch has largely built out around the HRWA, recreational and educational opportunities have expanded, and more than two decades of active management have provided substantially more information about wildlife habitat, recreation, natural resources, wildfire, public access, and operational needs.

The update also incorporates information gathered through community surveys, advisory committees, Community Involvement Processes, professional consultation, and experience with actual development proposals.

No. The proposed HRWA Plan builds upon the planning framework established through the historical OSCA documents. The intent is to update that framework based on current conditions, community input, professional knowledge, and more than two decades of management experience while maintaining the original objectives of conservation, recreation, education, public access, and long-term stewardship.

In 2025, the HRCA Board directed that the historical Plan be updated and established an OSCA Update Committee. The Committee included representatives from HRCA, Douglas County Open Space, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and South Metro Fire Rescue and was chaired by longtime Highlands Ranch planning and community leader Jeff Kappes.

The proposed Plan provides greater specificity about what uses may occur, where they may occur, and at what scale.

Among the major changes are a more focused set of uses within the Planning Areas; removal or narrowing of a number of higher-intensity institutional and commercial uses contemplated by the 2000 Plan; generally smaller maximum building sizes for significant new facilities; reconfiguration of Planning Areas based on current ownership and conditions; and creation of a Core Conservation Area with more specific protections based on conservation value.

No. The proposed Plan continues to identify Planning Areas where future facilities and uses may be appropriate. The update is intended to better define the purpose, scale and location of those opportunities and more closely align them with recreation, education, conservation, community service, and long-term stewardship.

The proposed Core Conservation Area replaces the historical approach of treating most of the approximately 7,000-acre Open Space Area as a single broad land-use category.

The proposed framework uses current conservation information and management experience to distinguish areas with different conservation values. Critical and High conservation-value areas receive the strongest protections, while areas with lower conservation value may accommodate carefully located recreation, education, access, and supporting infrastructure.

No. Recreation has been part of the planning framework since its inception and remains an important component of the proposed Plan.

Recreational access has also expanded substantially since the 2000 Plan was adopted, including trails, archery facilities, equestrian programs, environmental education, camps, guided activities, hunting, and other outdoor recreation opportunities. The proposed Plan seeks to continue providing recreation while more specifically considering location, conservation value, wildlife impacts, and other site conditions.

The 2000 Plan intentionally provided considerable flexibility for future development. Over the following 25 years, community surveys, advisory committees, Community Involvement Processes, management experience, and public response to actual proposals provided additional information about community expectations.

Experiences involving proposals such as Colorado Christian University, Base Camp near Grigs Road, and Wildcat Regional Park demonstrated that the type, scale, purpose, and location of development can significantly influence community acceptance.

Yes. Community surveys and other forms of public input were reviewed as part of the historical record. Recurring themes over time have included support for open space preservation, wildlife habitat, trail access, nature-based recreation, environmental education, and scenic landscapes.

No single survey was used to determine the proposed Plan. Survey results were considered alongside advisory committee recommendations, Community Involvement Processes, professional expertise, current conditions, and management experience.

No. The document currently available for review is a draft.

Public and Delegate feedback is the next step. Feedback received during the review period will be considered before the proposal moves through the formal HRCA Community Involvement Process. The process also includes additional public meetings and votes and, ultimately, a Douglas County land-use review and approval process.

Residents will be able to submit comments through this webpage during the public feedback period. We encourage residents to review the summary information, comparison tables, maps, and proposed Plan before submitting comments.

Feedback received during the public review period will be reviewed as the proposed Plan is refined and moves into the formal Community Involvement Process. The process includes additional opportunities for Delegate and public involvement before final HRCA consideration and subsequent Douglas County review.

A Historical Planning and Community Input section on this page will provide access to the original OSCA documents, management plans, community surveys, advisory committee materials, and other historical information that provides context for the proposed update.

Yes. The proposed Plan continues to allow facilities and structures within designated Planning Areas where they support permitted uses. What changes is the range, scale, and location of development that may occur.

The 2000 OSCA Plan contemplated a relatively broad range of institutional, commercial, recreational, educational, and public-facility uses. The proposed HRWA Plan narrows many of those possibilities and more specifically identifies the types of uses appropriate within individual Planning Areas.

The proposed Plan generally limits significant new facilities to 20,000 square feet, although permitted building sizes vary by Planning Area and use. This represents a reduction from the historical OSCA Plan, which allowed structures up to 50,000 square feet for several uses, with some larger facilities potentially available through additional review.

Yes. The proposed Plan continues to allow an equestrian center, dressage riding area, stables, and an indoor arena within the Planning Area designated for that use, subject to the development standards established in Chapter 3.

The proposed Plan retains a 20-acre maximum site size for this use. A 20-acre limitation for equestrian centers, dressage riding areas, and stables also existed in the 2000 OSCA Plan for facilities permitted by right; the historical Plan provided a separate Special Review pathway for sites exceeding 20 acres.

Yes. The proposed Plan does not prohibit future trail development. Instead, it provides greater direction regarding where additional recreational infrastructure may be appropriate.

Within the Core Conservation Area, conservation values are used to help guide those decisions. Critical and High conservation-value areas receive the strongest protections, while areas with lower conservation values may accommodate carefully located recreation, education, access, and supporting infrastructure.

The historical Planning Areas were reevaluated based on current ownership, existing uses, conservation values, community input, and current conditions. Some historical areas are no longer owned by HRCA, some were eliminated or reduced, and others were relocated or redesignated.

The proposed HRWA Plan identifies 670 acres of current HRCA property as Planning Areas. The remaining approximately 7,005 acres of HRCA-owned property comprise the Core Conservation Area.

The original Planning Areas provided considerable flexibility for potential future development. More than 25 years of community input, actual development proposals, changing land-use conditions, and management experience have provided additional information about where future uses are most appropriate.

The proposed Plan therefore seeks to more intentionally match future opportunities with locations appropriate for their purpose, scale, surrounding land uses, conservation value, access, and operational requirements.

The Plan establishes a framework for future land use and management; it does not, by itself, broadly open or close the HRWA to public access.

Public access will continue to be managed according to conservation needs, recreational opportunities, wildlife considerations, safety, seasonal conditions, and other management factors. The proposed Plan continues to support trails, structured recreation, environmental education, and other forms of responsible public access.

The update is primarily a long-range land-use and management framework. Existing recreation and educational facilities and programs, including trails, archery, equestrian activities, Base Camp, camps, environmental education, guided activities, and other recreation opportunities, remain part of the HRWA.

The current draft specifically recognizes the existing equestrian facilities, archery center, Base Camp, and existing and planned trail systems.

Planning Areas are specifically designated portions of the HRWA where identified recreational, educational, community, operational, or other facilities and uses may occur subject to the permitted uses and development standards contained in Chapter 3.

The Core Conservation Area encompasses the approximately 7,005 acres outside the Planning Areas and establishes a more conservation-focused framework. Within it, mapped conservation values provide additional direction about where recreation, access, infrastructure, and other activities may be appropriate.

Together, the two designations account for HRCA's approximately 7,675 acres within the HRWA:

670 acres Planning Areas + 7,005 acres Core Conservation Area = 7,675 acres.

Historical OSCA documents generally described the property as approximately 8,200 acres. More detailed current acreage estimates indicate that the area within the original OSCA/Backcountry perimeter is approximately 8,343 acres.

Of that estimated area:

·       approximately 7,675 acres are currently owned by HRCA; and

·       approximately 668 acres within the historical perimeter are owned by other entities.

Together, those figures total approximately 8,343 acres, rather than the historical 8,200-acre figure.

Based on the historical information currently available, the approximately 8,200-acre figure appears to have been an estimate derived from the original perimeter with the Law Enforcement Training Foundation property excluded. Because historical parcel descriptions, boundaries, conveyances, and acreage calculations have changed or been refined over time, the historical and current figures should be understood as estimates rather than precise surveyed measurements.

The proposed Plan uses the current estimate of 7,675 acres of HRCA-owned property for its land-use calculations.

2002 Backcountry/OSCA Community Survey — Community survey addressing potential uses, development, recreation, access and funding within the OSCA.

2012 HRCA Community Survey — Community survey results and subsequent review of potential uses within the Backcountry Planning Areas.

2018 HRCA Community Survey — Community feedback regarding the Backcountry Wilderness Area, conservation, recreation, programs and potential improvements.

2024 Douglas County Community Survey — Countywide survey providing broader regional context, including Highlands Ranch-specific results regarding open space, conservation, trails, parks and recreation.