College move a risk not worth taking
Last night I attended the informational meeting on the proposal
to build a new campus for Colorado Christian University (CCU) in
Highlands Ranch open space near Rock Canyon High School. I went to
the meeting with an open mind, slightly leaning toward having a
university campus in Highlands Ranch. I left opposed to the sale of
this land to CCU.
The presentation was well made for proponents of the campus. It
showed clearly that the campus would not be an eyesore on the scale
of Valor Academy. It is also clear that the use of the open space
for a campus is one of several allowable uses for a limited amount
of the open space in the Backcountry area of Highlands Ranch.
The presentation was well made for the opponents of the campus
as well. The three big concerns seemed to be taxes, traffic and
wildlife. How will a tax-exempt institution share the financial
burden of the services Douglas County will need to provide in terms
of police, fire and infrastructure? How much worse will the bad
traffic in the area get? How will the wildlife react to such a
campus?
In the end I was swayed by one of argument more than the rest.
Will RLUIPA apply to this campus? RLUIPA is a federal law that
allows a religious institution to bypass local zoning regulations
in certain situations. It seems that it might apply in this case.
Imagine a 20-story tower on one of the highest points in Highlands
Ranch. No thanks!
I am all for a university on that land. Make it a public
university that will be forced to abide by the land-use rules for
the county. Make it a secular university that cannot use RLUIPA to
bully the county. Just don’t let it be CCU or any other religious
institution. It just seems like a risk not worth taking.
Find your delegate. Make your feelings known. Otherwise the
choice is made by someone else.
Scott Toney
Highlands Ranch
