Highlands Ranch 1

Highlands Ranch 1 | CCU 0

Great news for Highlands Ranch. Colorado Christian University has withdrawn its request to purchase land from the HRCA to build a new campus. In the last few days and weeks residents of Highlands Ranch raised up to the challenge and stepped forward to protect valuable Open Space land from being lost to a new campus of Colorado Christian University. I have been following the Save Highlands Ranch Open Space website and the associated Facebook webpage as well. It has been amazing to see how residents came together to step up to protect our Open Space. All my respect goes out to those folks for their hard work and efforts to mobilize the residents, the delegates, and friends of the Open Space. Thank you!!!

Here is some additional news that was posted on 9News.com

CCU President Bill Armstrong says the university decided not to pursue the project, but is considering two or three other sites, including a redevelopment of its Lakewood campus.
Armstrong says five cities have called CCU expressing interest in landing a new campus in their city – two of which he considers very solid options.
Source: 9News.com

I think CCU had to realize that if they would have not withdrawn their request that this could have been a) a reputation disaster that b) would have been very costly to pull through. In my eyes the first mistake was made by Bill Armstrong to “sell” his university as the best thing that could have ever happened to Highlands Ranch. “Pride comes before the fall” – this saying seems to have come true once more again.

I am not here to put more salt into the wounds. I am glad this is over and that Highlands Ranch Open Space has been saved (for now). Maybe this is the correct time now to re-evaluate all of Highlands Ranch Open Space land that allows for different usage. Maybe it is time to say “enough” to new construction that could possibly happen in Open Space areas and to rezone and finalize the use of Open Space land to what is is now: Our Open Space