Frequently Asked Questions

About the Save Our Rox Committee

  • We are a group of concerned homeowners within the park who have a common interest to preserve this unique piece of land for its abundance of wildlife and the habitat it provides, along with its geologic and archeological history of over three hundred million years. We are opposed to large scale development that would negatively impact traffic, crime, noise, light pollution and most importantly, significantly hinder emergency evacuation such as a fire.

  • To raise awareness of all homeowners and other concerned parties to the potential for development of this unique piece of land that would harm and destroy the abundance of benefits it provides to the habitat and the community in which it resides.

  • On the contrary. Our Roxborough Park community continues to build out its remaining land parcels as seen in several homes constructed over the past couple of years. The committee welcomes new homeowners to experience the special place where we live. However, we are working to preserve the natural state of these thirty-five acres of land in the middle of Arrowhead golf course to protect the wildlife, as well as geologic and archeological significance and limit the negative impact of additional traffic, potential crime, noise, light pollution. Most importantly, we are concerned about the additional activity significantly hindering emergency evacuation in the event of emergencies especially fire.

  • Communication expenses. To communicate and educate the neighborhood we paid for, and currently maintain, a professionally designed website, yard signs and window stickers and a four-color brochure. . Additional money will be used to continue the above activities, as well as pay for any services we may encounter, such as postal mailings. As of December 2023, $9,475 has been raised on the Go Fund Me website. This collection is not an effort to fundraise to purchase the Homestead.

  • Should any homeowner have interest, please send your information on our website here www.saveourrox.com and let us know how you would like to assist us in our efforts, such as research, legal, etc.

  • There are many reasons we have concerns:

    1. Increase in Crime and negative impact to our safety – it is inevitable more crime will come to our neighborhood with the promotion and awareness of this Nordic Spa within our community. Spa visitors will have access to our community with the ability to explore our personal properties and the overall footprint.

    2. Increase in Traffic – additional 600 vehicles per day considering the spa will have multiple clients a day going in and out will increase accidents, animal deaths, etc. Pomeroy has indicated approximately 250 parking spaces and clients staying a maximum of 4 hours, it is expected clients will turn over twice per day.

    3. Increase in property damage – residents within the park have already encountered property damage from drunk drivers driving the wrong way, especially at night. This is likely to increase considering the Nordic Spa will have a liquor license.

    4. Negative impact on emergency evacuation – an increase in additional vehicles will make it more difficult for emergency evacuation and it is likely not all evacuation routes will be open during an evacuation. Multiply that during peak traffic times for Arrowhead golf course weddings and golf tournaments. Property owners on Sundown would experience even more impact as they would have to manage the bottleneck to exit in an emergency by sharing their road with added spa visitors to the golfers and wedding guests.

    5. Negative impact to water – water is at a premium now and considering the needs of the spa, this will only further deplete any additional water needs we may have as a community and especially during times of a fire emergency.

    6. Increase in Noise – the elevation and topography of the Homestead will increase noise levels into the evening hours and will especially impact residents on the East side of the parcel.

    7. Negative impact on Dark Skies – Roxborough Park Foundation and its community has been a Dark Skies neighborhood since the program’s start in 2001. A public spa will undoubtedly increase light and negatively impact the existing habitat.

    8. Commercial business bankruptcy – one of the largest risks to our neighborhood is the potential for this commercial spa, with its new, unproven concept in the lower United States, to fail and sell to a much larger commercial entity such as a Marriott which could build a hotel or expand the spa services.

    9. Negative impact on wildlife and the Fountain Formation red rocks – Drilling and grading will impact this 300-million-year-old sandstone foundation. Consider Roxborough State Park next door to our community that has the below honors. It is logical such aspects would be extended to our Red rocks:

    • Is a National Registered Historic Place due to its important archeological properties and resources.

    • Is a National Area Landmark due to its geologic history of striking rock formations that began its uplift over 300 million years ago. The same rock formation called Fountain Formation that resides on the Homestead property.

    • Has documented over 200 artifacts within its boundaries, and it includes over 40 archaeological sites dating back as far as the stone ages which are over 2.5 million year ago.

    • Is an Important Birding area by the Audubon Society with over 145 documented bird species including Golden Eagles.

    • Is a key area for mammal breading due to its climate, geology and abundance of food making it one of the reasons it is a National Area Landmark.

  • We have established a 501(c)(3) non-profit called The Roxborough Conservancy. It currently is dormant but should the time arise to begin fundraising, the non-profit can be used to purchase the Homestead parcel.

Homestead Landowners

  • We respect the rights of any homeowner or landowner. We are actively researching other options that the existing owner could consider that might be just as, or more beneficial than, developing the property. Those options include a Conservation Easement (Land Trust) or Open Space (if criteria are met).

Roxborough Park Foundation & Current Homeowners

  • TAs of November 2024, the land is not currently for sale; however, should it become available there has been a lot of research around how we would purchase it.

    We understand and appreciate your concern. After nearly three years of researching over 20 third parties who have the capability to grant money to such endeavors like this, we have found the Homestead property is unique in that it is too small, sits inside a residential community supported by an HOA, and does not allow for public access. Due to these key issues, we learned we do not meet criteria of almost all organizations to whom we spoke. Based on this information, we have suggested that our HOA Board consider a hybrid approach to purchasing the property. That approach would include the following:

    1. Homeowner assessment

    2. GOCO (Great Outdoors Colorado) grant

    3. Fundraising

    4. ARCIS (Arrowhead owner) donation

    5. Colorado Tax Credit

    Depending upon the actual numbers of dollars above, and the purchase price of the property, we cannot determine just how much money an assessment could cost, but we estimate between $2,000 and $4,000.

  • This is correct. As of January, 2024, they purchased the property. In February, 2024, they are now suing Roxborough Park Foundation (RPF) for commercial access to the property.

  • Every homeowner drives through our beautiful neighborhood. A significant residential or commercial development will:

    1. Increase traffic, crime, noise and light pollution and negatively impact our overall way of life within our community.

    2. Add additional traffic burden and slow an emergency evacuation potentially putting lives at risk.

    3. Devalue a pristine piece of land that honors our local history and wildlife.

  • Because our HOA documents precede July 1992 laws, RPF cannot purchase real property (land). To buy land our governing documents need to be changed and voted on by Foundation members (50.1%). Each transaction of purchasing land would require a vote of members depending upon the specifics of the governing documents. The Board would not be empowered to purchase land. The community would be empowered to purchase land based on a vote of its members.

  • The SOR team has spoken to over 20 organizations locally and nationally and the following reasons are why there is limited interest with our situation:

    1. The land is too small – most non-profits, family foundations or conservation foundations seek to protect land that is in the thousands of acres, not 35 acres.

    2. The land resides in the middle of a homeowner development. We have been told it is our issue to resolve considering we have an active HOA.

    3. The land does not allow for public access.

  • There is no reason this cannot be an option, but there is a process that must take place which includes educating the RFP Board and RPF community to learn how to purchase the land, modification of the RPF covenants to buy the land, partnering with a land trust organization to place the land into a conservancy, filing for tax credits to reduce the cost of the land, etc. Most importantly as of November 2024, it currently is NOT FOR SALE.

  • The Board clearly stated their opposition to the Pomeroy development and chartered a committee to research the purchase of the property. Unfortunately, Pomeroy has purchased the property as of November, 2024 and it is NOT FOR SALE.

  • Although we wish we had a solid number, it is impossible to establish at this time. We believe it would be in the range of $2,000 to $4,000 in total per homeowner. Whether that would be all at once or over multiple years is yet to be determined. SOR has proposed a ‘hybrid” purchase scenario to the HOA Board that would include a homeowners’ assessment, third party grants, ARCIS, and fundraised dollars. Until there is an official electronic vote sent to the RPF homeowners asking for their approval to purchase the land, and a vote of “yes” to purchase, no final numbers can be provided.

  • Several items!

    1. Gather your neighbors and partner with us to host an educational conversation where SOR could present this issue along with our work to date.

    2. Place a yard sign in your yard and/or a sticker on your back car window.

    3. Sign the petition on our website.

    4. Donate funds to help us pay for a postal mailer currently estimated at $3,000.

    5. Write letters to Douglas County Commissioners.

    6. Write letters to the RPF Board and its Manager, Brian Lence.

    7. Talk to your neighbors and friends within our community about the need to stop any development on this site and for them to execute the same actions we list here. Please send us a note requesting a yard sign or sticker and we will deliver.

    8. Consider joining a smaller group of people who pledge to Buy the Rox in the event the community at large won’t support the purchase. Define your legacy by helping to preserve land that took 300 million years to create and mere months to deface.

  • Prior to Pomeroy’s purchase of the land, Save Our Rox hosted each county commissioner for an on-site visit. Once Pomeroy made a formal submittal to Douglas County to rezone, the commissioners can no longer speak to the general public about this issue until the pending public hearing. However, we need YOU to contact them by writing a letter describing why you moved here and why you do not want them to change the land use of the Homestead land from residential to commercial development and preferably no development at all.

  • To clarify, Pomeroy has not made any promises to build any amenities for RPF. Additionally, when you purchased your home within Roxborough Park Community, you were not promised such amenities, and, in fact, most homeowners we have communicated with purchased in this location because of its tranquility and natural environment. As an owner, you can utilize and pay for amenities at Sterling Ranch, or visit Roxborough State Park next door for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing with a State Park Pass with entrance from our development, or join SNAP fitness down the street which would love to have new members since their owners live here in our Roxborough Park community.

  • The original owner of the property intended to build one home on the east side. One home is different from 31 condos and 6 custom homes around and in the property. Every new home built will:

    1. increase traffic, noise, and light pollution within our community.

    2. increase negative impact during an emergency evacuation and the potential limitation of water to fight it.

  • An increase in additional HOA assessments with new homes, does not equate to pure revenue. Additional homes mean additional expenses, such as more roads to maintain and plow, more landscaping maintenance, more recyclables and trash to process, etc. All these services come at a cost. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization Therefore, assuming pure revenue from more homes is not an accurate assessment.

Roxborough Water District

  • There is no indication from Roxborough Water that any reduction in our water bills would take place.

  • The existing Homestead owners have consistently made payments on 18 water taps. This is part of the value considered for this property. However, no additional water taps would be made available beyond the 18 currently paid by the existing owner, according to Barbara Biggs, past General Manager of the Roxborough Water and Sanitation District.

  • No. It has been confirmed by Roxborough Water that 31 condos and 6 custom homes can support 18 taps.

Douglas County

  • There are a total of 3 commissioners of which 2 of 3 must vote to approve.

  • Yes, we have met with all three commissioners, Abe Layton, George Teal, and Lora Thomas. The objective of these individual meetings was to provide an overview of our concerns and a site walk of the Homestead property. All three commissioners are aware of the situation.

Conservation Easement & Tax Credits

  • A conservation easement is a voluntary, legal agreement that permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values. Also known as a conservation restriction or conservation agreement, a conservation easement is one option to protect a property for future generations. They can be an effective tool to protect land, often at lower cost to land trusts and public agencies. It is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency where the landowner retains many private property rights and can gain tax benefits. Conservation easements can be sold beyond the original owner to others who seek such properties for strategic reasons and/or tax benefits.

  • Our research indicates approximately 6 months as various third parties would need to engage.

  • Think of a tax credit like a gift card. It is money the owner of the tax credit gets to apply to one’s Colorado taxes and can be applied over multiple years or just in year one. This tax credit could be used to reduce the assessment to a homeowner if RPF bought the property.

  • That will depend on the purchase price. Per the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Department of Tax Credits, a “tax credit is valued at 90% of the appraised conservation easement value up to a maximum credit amount of $5,000,000. These tax credits can be claimed in $1.5 million increments per year and can be used over a 20-year period.”

  • Prior to any homeowner assessment, RPF must change their covenants to allow the foundation to purchase land. This will require 50.1% of homeowners to agree to do this. After this is completed and should we reach this 50.1% vote of a yes to allow the ability to purchase, another vote must take place to assess homeowners to purchase the property. After these two hurdles, the following are the likely steps that will then take place:

    1. RPF secures a loan against the property (like what has been done to resurface our roads)

    2. RPF buys the property.

    3. Execute special assessment.

    4. RPF partners with a State certified land trust agency

    5. RPF partners with a State-certified tax credit broker and sells the tax credit and homeowners receive % of the credit against the original assessment.

    6. RPF continues to own land.

    7. Trust agency acts as the steward of land (like a trustee of a family trust).