Dear Save the Lone Tree Bluffs Community,
We are still in a waiting period before the Planning Commission and City Council hearings for the second Hillcamp application. While we wait, here are the 6 facts that matter:
1. THE SAFETY NUMBERS CHANGED — WITH NOTHING CHANGING
The same hillside, the same road design, four months apart. One critical section went from a stability factor of 0.9 — failure conditions — to "safe" by March 2026. No construction occurred. No physical changes were made. Every change was in the modeling, not in the ground.
2. THE HILL ALREADY FAILED — AND NOBODY ANSWERED WHY
In the summer of 2024, a water pipeline running through the slope above the proposed Hillcamp road burst. The ground beneath it gave way. A real landslide — not a risk assessment, not a model, an actual slope failure — occurred on HOA land at The Retreat at RidgeGate. The same slope where 343 homes are now proposed. Colorado’s own geological agency (CGS) formally asked the developers to explain what would happen if a utility failure occurred again during or after construction. The developers responded by describing pipelines inside the road. The question about the slope above it — where the 2024 failure actually happened — was never answered. That question is still open. If you want to read the full technical analysis, it is available at savethelonetreebluffs.com.
3. ONE ROAD IN WILDFIRE COUNTRY — WITH NO EVACUATION PLAN
No analysis exists for wildfire evacuation conditions. The traffic study was done on weekdays only. The City of Lone Tree currently has Stage 2 Fire Restrictions in effect. This is not hypothetical.
4. THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY WAS ONE DAY IN JULY
The developers’ own report recommends a new biological assessment if construction proceeds in 2026 because “species behaviors are not static season to season.” Burrowing owls, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, ferruginous hawks, and bald eagles — all with known range on this property — were not fully surveyed.
5. 80 ELK, MOUNTAIN LIONS, BEARS — GONE FOREVER
These bluffs are the last wild open mesa in Lone Tree. Once paved, they are gone — not for a decade, not for a generation. Forever. A neighbor filmed these trails for three years and composed original classical music for what he has experienced at The Bluffs: youtube.com/watch?v=If3aYhkK_34
6. YOUR VOICES ARE ON THE RECORD.
Every comment submitted is now part of the official record that the Planning Commission and City Council are required to read before they vote. The community has spoken — formally, officially, and permanently. And if there is another round making a Public Comment is the best way to make your voice heard again.
A NOTE TO EVERYONE READING THIS
Some places are worth more standing than developed. We believe this is one of them.
We really hope that every person involved in this decision will look at this land and ask: is there a better way?
We remain open to conversation, collaboration, and solutions that honor both the community and the land.
Keep spreading the word please and as soon we get updates we will let you know ASAP.
Thanks for all your help and support always.
Save the Lone Tree Bluffs Team
savethelonetreebluffs.com