Several Lone Tree residents are pushing back against one of the proposed locations for an office that will host the brand new 23rd Judicial District, which will encompass Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.  

The new office will also offer pre-trial and probation services.

The pushback from residents is directed at locating the office at One Lincoln Station, a building inside a business park just east of the Heritage Hills neighborhood. The location offers access to the E line of the Regional Transportation District rail system and Interstate 25.

The residents, particularly those in the Heritage Hills neighborhood, accused the Douglas County Commission of lacking transparency and argued that the new office would increase crime in the area.

A Douglas County official, meanwhile, said the individuals who will get served at the new office are, in fact, cooperating and working to meet court requirements. 

The current 18th judicial district will split into two beginning next year. The 23rd Judicial District, which is the state’s first new judicial district in 60 years, will cover Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln, while Arapahoe County will have the old 18th district to itself.

The new judicial district office building needs to be a minimum of 27,000 square feet, enough space to accommodate all the staffers working in several programs, according to Douglas County District 3 Commissioner Lora Thomas.

The new office will offer three services: pretrial, diversion and probation, which Thomas described as an “an exit ramp.” 

“It is important for residents to know that the county’s director of facilities has been working with a commercial real estate broker for months to locate space that meets all requirements for this essential facility,” Thomas said.

“I am unaware of any survey or statistics that shows that people who are in these three categories of services are involved in increased crime. These are people that are cooperating with the services and the conditions of their bond, to cooperate with the criminal justice system,” she added. 

One of the requirements for the new office is for it to have access to public transportation. The newly extended Regional Transportation District rail system E line travels as south as Lone Tree.

The office “isn’t a parole center,” Thomas maintained.

“I understand that when people are told there’s going to be a parole center in their community, they get alarmed. I would hope that they would come and listen to the judge and come and talk with experts who deal with these populations,” she said.

Shaun Seales, president of the Heritage Hills Metropolitan District board of directors, told Douglas County commissioners during a meeting a week ago that “transparency is probably the biggest concern right now for us.”

Seales urged Douglas County commissioners to avoid “blindsiding” residents.

“I think looking at our location in Lone Tree,” Seales said, “proximity to our residences, most importantly schools and our children, is about most important to us when it comes to safety and security.”

District 1 Commissioner Abe Laydon, a former Heritage Hills resident, said he won’t be voting to locate the office in Lone Tree.

“I was just as caught off guard by this as you, and I shouldn’t have been,” Laydon said.

In an email, Lone Tree Mayor Marissa Harmon, said her city just recently learned that Douglas County is considering locating the 23rd judicial district office in Heritage Hills.

“When we recently learned that Douglas County was considering this location for a probation office, we began a dialogue to understand what this would mean for residents and businesses in the area,” Harmon said.

“That dialogue is still ongoing,” Harmon said. “We have certainly heard the concerns from our residents and businesses in the area. While we understand that this is a necessary function, we have concerns about the suitability of the location.”