Sterling Ranch, Colorado is a proposed planned community to be built in Douglas County, Colorado.
Sterling Ranch, LLC, obtained approval for the project in May 2011, after several years of public hearings and wrangling over the project. As proposed, Sterling Ranch will comprise multiple small residential villages surrounding a single town center within walking distance of the residences. The town center will house all of the development's retail and office space. The total project will require 20 years to complete, and will eventually cover 3,400 acres (1,400 ha) and will be home to 31,000 people in 12,050 housing units. Controversy over the project mostly involved the availability of water, but Sterling has promised to meet the residents' water needs through efficiencies such as rain water harvesting.
The Sterling Ranch proposal also includes a youth athletes' village, including facilities for baseball, soccer, and futsal. The developers hope to promote this venue nationally, becoming "a national destination for youth sports."
Economic impact
As part of the development, Sterling Ranch claims that it is working with Douglas County to include five elementary schools, a middle school and a high school as part of the development, and that 100 acres are being set aside for the development of a higher education complex.
Sterling Ranch officials said the community is anticipated to break ground in 2012 with the first homes in first village to start in 2013. Project developers expect that the project will create more than 9,000 permanent jobs.