Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette

Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a crucial land exchange deal to build a massive sports complex on land previously bought by developers of Colorado’s largest master-planned community.

The county partnered with Sterling Ranch to create plans for a 500-acre sports complex in northwest Douglas County called Zebulon.

The land transfer impacts 46.5 acres of land planned to be the project’s first phase and will include a sports facility with hockey rinks, gyms, baseball and soccer fields.

“The amendment provides Douglas County with an additional 34.2 acres of land in a configuration that is intended to facilitate development of a sports complex,” county staff said Tuesday in a presentation to commissioners.

The land is located at Moore and Waterton roads between Sterling Ranch and Louviers. Douglas County received an additional 34.2 acres, thus totaling 46.5 acres in the transfer. The agreement also requires the county to pay $5 million for infrastructure.

The plans for Zebulon require up to $85 million for the first phase to construct a 239,000-square-foot indoor sports complex. Plans include three hockey rinks, and spaces for basketball, baseball and softball, volleyball, football and soccer. Further phases of the project include expansion of open space and nature preservation.

Plans also include a 160,000-square-foot sports dome with a removable roof, four baseball fields, 700 parking spots, 17,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, plus a botanic garden.

In its Zebulon economic impact report filed in May, the Douglas County Economic Development Corp. estimated the sports complex will generate $1.3 billion in tax revenue and create almost 1,800 jobs between 2026 and 2036.

As part of the Sterling Ranch agreement, Douglas County will ensure conservation of 185 acres of open space containing elk migration corridors and a “community separation buffer” surrounding Louviers.

Under the plan, Zebulon would be partly funded by Douglas County’s Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund, a 0.17% sales tax voters approved in 2022 to generate $330 million over 15 years for preserving and creating outdoor amenities.

“This is what responsible development looks like – community-driven, environmentally sound, and forward-thinking,” Sterling Ranch Development Co. President Brock Smethills said in a statement. 

“We’re not just building new facilities,” he said, “we’re building trust and creating a legacy of recreation, open space, and opportunity for generations to come.”

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