Following community input, Douglas County is embarking on a journey to provide much-needed space for youth sports. Learn about the public process to develop the Zebulon Regional Sports Complex below, and be sure to sign up for email updates to get current, accurate information.
Zebulon is one piece of a larger planned development along Waterton Road in Sterling Ranch, portions of which will be County-owned and portions privately-owned. The proposed development includes approximately 185 acres of open space, 46.5 acres for the Zebulon Regional Sports Complex, and space for a new County emergency operations and training center, plus 200 acres for Sterling Ranch private development. The current planned location for Zebulon requires no remediation.
A separate portion of the Waterton Road development was formerly Chemours Louviers Site, used as a dynamite factory from 1907 to 1989. In 2022, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) provided a letter approving prior remediation on the Waterton Road development site. Some small parcels of privately owned property remain on the Waterton Road development site that are under a deed restriction for solid waste management units, which would need to be remediated prior to construction of that area; these parcels are outside of the planned space for Zebulon. Read the letter in the Additional Materials & Resources section below.
Responding to community feedback to increase sports and recreation amenities, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners has been envisioning a new, regional sports complex in northwestern Douglas County.
A parcel of land owned by Sterling Ranch was identified as the preferred location for the new regional complex. At one time, the property in Highlands Ranch, known as Wildcat Regional Park, was slated to include a large sports complex. However, the surrounding community is opposed to that idea, and the Board of Douglas County Commissioners decided to preserve the Wildcat Regional Park area as open space and move the preferred location for a regional sports complex to Sterling Ranch.
On Oct. 14, 2025, Douglas County and Sterling Ranch agreed to the land transfer during a public business meeting. Details of the transfer include:
Zebulon Regional Sports Complex will be located on one piece of a larger planned development along Waterton Road in Sterling Ranch. The broader development includes approximately 185 acres of open space, about 46 acres for the Zebulon Regional Sports Complex, space for a new County emergency operations and training center, plus 200 acres for Sterling Ranch private development.
During World War II, the land housed a dynamite factory used to advance the war effort. The site has undergone 30 years of testing and remediation, and the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services closed the entire prior-Chemours property for environmental concerns in 2022:
“The Applicant (Chemours) has demonstrated to the Division (CDPHE Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division) that the contaminants of concern at the Site, when coupled with placement and compliance with an approved institutional control (e.g., Notice of Environmental Use Restrictions (NEUR)) for the Site, do not pose a threat to human health and environment, and contamination will continue to decline. The Division grants the Applicant’s request to conditionally close the Site pursuant to the attached Decision Document. As a result of this approval, no further remediation is required at the Site,” according to the closure letter from CDPHE (available in the Additional Materials & Resources section).
When land negotiations began for Zebulon, the County prudently completed its own environmental assessment and found four areas where chemicals were still present. Those areas are not included in the area the County is acquiring for Zebulon, with the exception of a small amount of PFAS (a chemical commonly found in cookware and firefighting foam) – which, at this time, is not required to be remediated.
As is the County’s practice with construction projects, the County will monitor environmental conditions during construction.
Zebulon will be open to all Douglas County residents.
Additionally, thanks to voter approval to renew a 0.17% sales and use tax for parks, trails, open spaces and historic resources, the County – in partnership with Lone Tree, Parker and Castle Rock – recently announced historic investments in new park amenities across Douglas County. Read details in our news story.
A Certificate of Participation (COP) is a financing tool that allows investors to buy a share of lease revenues from a local government rather than purchasing a bond secured by those revenues. The County anticipates using COPs to fund portions of this project, while at the same time seeking equity partners.
The County continues a competitive public process to partner with private companies to design, build, finance, operate, program and maintain the various elements of the vision, such as an ice complex, baseball fields and an indoor sports complex.
Community feedback has been the driving force for the development of Zebulon Regional Sports Complex:
Voter Support: In 2022, voters overwhelmingly extended a sales tax measure for the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund, expected to generate more than $330 million over 15 years.
Community Survey: To further understand the community’s priorities for this fund, the County engaged citizens with a survey in 2024. Survey methodology was designed to ensure the best means for reaching a statistically accurate and representative sample of opinion from Douglas County residents, aged 18 and older.
Public Input: During a Live Town Hall in May 2024 about the Fairgrounds Master Plan, the Board heard from a large group of parents and youth about the need for more youth sports facilities.
Community Engagement: Based on the feedback from the May 2024 Live Town Hall, Commissioners followed up with a Live Town Hall on June 27, 2024, to further explore the community’s priorities for the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund, hearing again about the need for youth sports facilities.
Stakeholder Engagement: Douglas County Commissioners hosted a public meeting with more than 10 key stakeholders on Feb. 24, 2025, including municipalities, HOAs, sports organizations and developers. During this meeting, they discussed location, land use, funding and potential partnership opportunities to meet the needs of the community and surrounding regions. Meetings like this one are open to the public and notified weekly via the Commissioners’ weekly schedule.
Community Engagement: Commissioners hosted a Live Town Hall on April 14, 2025, to debut the initial vision for Zebulon. It was the county’s most-attended Live Town Hall ever, reaching more than 10,000 people online and via phone. More than 200 people attended in person.
Zebulon is one of the Board’s priorities for voter-approved parks funding. Additionally, the County – in partnership with Lone Tree, Parker and Castle Rock – recently announced historic investments in new parks amenities across Douglas County.
While part of the same voter-approved 2022 funding measure, funding for these park priorities is, per voter-approved ballot language, separate from funding for Open Space. Learn more about the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space funding.
The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce provided an Economic and Fiscal Impact Analysis on the site, which includes both Zebulon and additional private development in the area, known as The Waterton West Development, which will include 2.39 million-square feet of mixed-use development.
The report estimates that “from 2026 to 2036, the Zebulon Regional Sports Complex is expected to generate a total economic impact of $1.3 billion, including $528.4 million in labor income and support for 1,764 jobs through construction and ongoing operations.” Read the full report in the Additional Materials & Resources section below.
