Lone Tree officials are weighing a proposal that would add hundreds of new housing units to the city's western mesa tops, and the plan has already drawn sharp pushback from residents worried about traffic, wildlife and wildfire evacuation routes. The development under consideration would reshape nearly 400 acres of bluff land west of Interstate 25, one of the last large undeveloped stretches in the RidgeGate master plan.
As reported by FOX31 Denver, the city is considering a new development that would bring hundreds of housing units to the area, and the proposal has already generated controversy among nearby residents. That project has a name: Hillcamp, sometimes referred to as Mesa Tops, a joint venture between Brookfield Residential and RidgeGate Investments to build 343 single-family homes across the mesa land, according to Homes.com. The outlet reports Hillcamp is planned as the final major single-family residential section on the western side of the RidgeGate master plan.
Opposition has coalesced around a group calling itself Save the Lone Tree Bluffs, which has gathered more than 8,000 petition signatures. The group urged the Lone Tree Planning Commission at public hearings this month to delay approving preliminary infrastructure — including extending Cabela Drive and building a water pump station — until the city completes a full environmental and wildfire evacuation review, per details shared by Save Surrey Ridge. Opponents argue that greenlighting roads and utilities first builds momentum toward home construction before those comprehensive site reviews are finished.
What's at Stake on the Mesa
The group's objections are not purely procedural. An environmental assessment submitted in community planning filings documented nesting habitat for native bird species — including western meadowlarks, scrub jays and finches — on land proposed for the Cabela Drive extension near Bluffs Regional Park and the East-West Regional Trail, the same filings note. Bluffs Regional Park and its surrounding trail network serve as a key outdoor recreation hub for south metro Denver, a point residents have leaned on in making their case.
Developers counter that the project was designed with conservation in mind. Brookfield Residential and RidgeGate Investments have set aside roughly 170 to 195 acres as community open space and planned more than 7.5 miles of public trails alongside a 2.8-acre private amenity center, according to project narrative filings with the City of Lone Tree. Those filings state the design is intended to preserve existing ridgeline views and wildlife corridors even as homes rise nearby.
Part of a Much Bigger Buildout
Hillcamp sits inside the 3,500-acre RidgeGate master-planned community, which launched 25 years ago and spans six square miles on both sides of I-25. The city of Lone Tree projects RidgeGate will eventually grow the city's population from about 15,000 today to 30,000 residents and 50,000 jobs at full buildout. Mesa-top homes aren't the only expansion underway — developer Lokal Homes acquired 19 vacant acres in northern Lone Tree last October to build Willow Creek, a 274-unit townhome and paired-home community that includes an affordable housing component, south of C-470 near the Willow Creek Greenbelt, according to Colorado Politics.
The growth pressure shows up in the numbers. Lone Tree's population reached 15,278 in 2025, a 7.2% jump from 14,253 in the 2020 Census, while Douglas County posted one of Colorado's largest county-level population gains, adding 6,345 residents between 2024 and 2025, per estimates summarized by the Colorado State Demography Office. Douglas and Weld counties led net domestic migration across the Denver metro area during that period, the same data shows.
City Infrastructure Racing to Keep Up
That growth has already forced the city to invest heavily in new infrastructure east of I-25. Lone Tree opened a $30 million Justice Center on High Note Avenue last month, a 37,000-square-foot facility combining the police department and municipal court under one roof on land donated by master developer Coventry Development. Retail is following the rooftops, too: Regency Centers broke ground in April on Lone Tree Village, a $42 million King Soopers Marketplace complex expected to open in 2027 and add 250 local jobs to serve new neighborhoods in RidgeGate East.
Housing diversity has entered the conversation as well. Koelbel and Company opened Forte Senior Apartments this year, offering 101 affordable rental units in RidgeGate East funded partly through Colorado Housing and Finance Authority tax credits, designed for older adults looking to age in place in south metro Denver. The push for affordability and senior housing stands in contrast to the fight over Hillcamp, where the dispute centers less on housing type and more on where — and how fast — development should move onto undisturbed mesa land.
The debate echoes a theme that defined Lone Tree's municipal elections earlier this year, when newly elected council members named open space preservation, traffic and RidgeGate development as top governing priorities. Whether that priority list translates into delayed infrastructure approvals for Hillcamp, or a green light for Brookfield Residential and RidgeGate Investments to proceed, remains before the Planning Commission as public hearings continue.
