Castle Rock's latest downtown redevelopment project  is moving forward and will bring new housing, office and retail options to Wilcox Street thanks to initial council approval.

On June 7, Castle Rock Town Council approved an ordinance to allow developer Confluence Companies to turn the existing lot at 221 Wilcox Street into a mixed-use, five-story building with 28 apartment units. Three council members, Tim Dietz, Caryn Johnson and Laura Cavey, opposed the project.

Dietz said he wasn’t against the redevelopment idea itself, but ideological issues with the town’s Design Review Board kept him from voting for the project. The Design Review Board approved the project and granted two variances to allow a fifth story and adjust the minimum required amount of street trees.

“This is a beautiful, beautiful project, yet however, I can’t support it because of the way that it comes to council from unrepresentative means, meaning the design review board makes this decision,” Dietz said. “Otherwise, if we didn’t have the DRB and I was able to actually put my thumbprint on these projects, then I would probably say yea.”

Other council members were more supportive of the idea presented by Confluence Companies, which will continue the past few years of efforts to revive the downtown area. 

The first floor of the building would provide around 8,300 square feet of retail space, including a setup for a restaurant, while the second floor would be almost 12,000 square feet of office space. Plans also include 28 on-site underground parking spaces and 27 off-site parking spaces.

“We do have a restaurant already under a letter of intent and it’s a bourbon and burger concept, as well as Duffyroll (Bakery) as another tenant, so all really great and additive things to downtown,”  Confluence Companies’ Tony Disimone said.

In order to make the project financially feasible, the town agreed to remit 50% of the sales and property taxes annually to the developer, Riverwalk II, LLC, up to $3.5 million or through 2038, whichever comes first.

Only one person gave public comment on the proposal, but they were also supportive of the redevelopment.

This story has been corrected to clarify the project developer is Confluence Companies.