Highlands Ranch, The First Decade
With the creative skill of our Leadership Team Member, Mark Stevenson, who handles Special Projects, this month’s program “Highlands Ranch, The First Decade, is below. Mark, through our Oral Histories series, has interviewed many of the original developers of Highlands Ranch. He was able to select portions of these interviews to create a presentation of Highlands Ranch’s early beginnings, told by the people that did the planning and made the decisions.
Here are comments from one of our members about this video: “Janey and I just finished watching your interviews that revealed the history of the wonderful community we call home. Your insightful questioning of how Philip Morris and Mission Viejo joined with many corporate executives who were concerned with doing it right. It was intriguing to hear of the other additional talented individuals that were also drawn to the opportunity of creating a new town. From these many participants – it was uncoordinated but in fact it became coordinated. We heard from so many you interviewed and it was clear that the focus was –
“I want to participate is something new”
“Let’s make this a creative opportunity”
“Make sure it is not recreating California”
“Let’s save the western historic elements that still remain”
“Let’s build on the preexisting history”
“Let’s start with many inclusive community building activities and traditions ”
“Build it out so rebuilding and re-engineering is not required years down the road”
“Include open space for the future”
“Identify the location of homes, business, commerce, utilities and government sites”
“Plan Highlands Ranch so the plan is for now as well as in the future. “
All we heard, Mark, was that somehow each participant caught the spirit and elements that resulted in our unique town.
Congratulations, Mark, you have recorded the kind of see-able and hear-able history that is so easily lost.
You are an asset to all of us in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Thanks from all of us”
– Lee and Janey V.
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