Renaissance seeks county land for 450-student Macanta elementary school

The Douglas County School District urged commissioners to deny or delay Renaissance Secondary School’s request for a county-owned Macanta site for a 450-student elementary campus, citing legal and public-process concerns.

Renaissance seeks the county-owned 27.077-acre Tract RR-1 for a prekindergarten-through-fifth-grade campus. The parcel was dedicated for school purposes in 2007. The charter proposes a transfer for nominal payment, with a deed restriction limiting the property to public-school and shared community recreation uses, according to its petition in the county’s Nov. 6 staff-report packet.

The dispute is over who may receive the site and which state-law process applies. Renaissance’s attorney argues charter schools are public governmental entities that can acquire property, and that county-property law allows the county to convey the tract without school-district approval. The district’s attorney argues Colorado’s school-site dedication law directs land to the appropriate school district when a need is demonstrated. The district also says charter schools seeking vacant or underused district property must use a separate application process that gives the school board a role in deciding requests. The district says the Macanta site was intended for it. County staff did not recommend for or against the transfer.

In its Nov. 9 letter to commissioners, the district asked the board to deny the petition and direct Renaissance to use the district’s process. Alternatively, it asked commissioners to remove the item from the Nov. 10 agenda and defer consideration until an attorney conference and county legal review, a Planning Division report, required notices, and a properly noticed public meeting where the district and public could be heard. The district said the process requires 60 days’ notice to the subdivider and 14 days’ written notice to affected landowners.

The district’s letter also described opposition at a Nov. 2 work session. It said many Canyons South residents attended and that one resident presented a folder of correspondence opposing the request and a petition the district described as bearing 150 to 200 signatures. The district said the letters raised concerns including traffic, neighborhood impacts and lack of public engagement.

Renaissance says the site is needed to expand its existing grades 6–12 school to include elementary grades. In May, the district conditionally approved the new charter and required Renaissance to submit, by Jan. 30, 2027, a lease or purchase agreement satisfactory to the district for an appropriate facility. The facility must meet applicable planning, construction and occupancy requirements and be available by Aug. 1 of the school’s first year.

Commissioners were scheduled to consider the petition Nov. 10. The district also had scheduled a 3:45 p.m. special meeting for legal advice and a 7:50 p.m. regular-meeting discussion with possible action, according to its agendas. The available material does not establish whether commissioners or the district acted that day.