Home > Sterling Ranch Master Plan

Sterling Ranch Master Plan

Littleton, CO

August 2023
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Nestled in a beautiful valley against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Douglas County, Colorado, Sterling Ranch is a master-planned community where the values of gratitude, family, wellness, stewardship, and innovation converge. These values are engrained in every detail of the community from planning to completion. Just the third family to own the land since the Civil War, the Smethills family developed the land into a community that would become not just their legacy, but also a place that residents would cherish and be proud to live in. Sterling Ranch broke ground in 2016, sold their first home in the summer of 2017, and has since opened three out of nine total villages. Through thoughtful planning, segmentation, and activation, Sterling Ranch carries out their motto, “Joy resides here.”
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
In the 1860s, the land started as a ranch run by the Sterling family. After around 100 years, drought troubles made the ranch barely economic, and the last Sterling died in the late 1970’s. The Burns family bought the 2,200 acres from a bank with the dream of developing the land. Further water issues prevented development and the Smethills family bought the land to help bring the Burns’ dream to life. Harold and Diane Smethills started the Sterling Ranch Development Company, which is now led by their son, Brock Smethills. The Smethills zoned 3,400 acres with 1,300 acres of open space and approval for 12,050 units, which will house nearly 40,000 residents. For the last three years, Sterling Ranch has led the Denver market and in just six years, Sterling Ranch is about 18% built out with three villages: Providence, Ascent, and Prospect. The goals of sustainability and providing a wide range of price points have resulted in clustered and denser communities with wide areas of open space.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Sustainability is a key component of Sterling Ranch that speaks to the community’s values of respect for the land, wellness, stewardship, and innovation. This master plan has proven initiatives that set them apart from other developments in Colorado, and even the rest of the country. In the mid-2000s, Harold Smethills conducted extensive research on rainfall and water waste alongside the state water engineer, multiple municipalities, and multiple counties. The developers created a plan that made Sterling Ranch Colorado’s first and only rainwater harvesting pilot site project, approved by the House and Senate, and signed by the Governor. The state water plan even references Sterling Ranch as a development that others should aspire to emulate.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
According to the developer, Sterling Ranch uses less water than any community or city in Colorado. Most homes in Douglas Country use 0.75-acre feet of water per year, while homes in Sterling Ranch use less than 0.25-acre feet, or two-thirds less, of renewable water from the mountains. To maximize efficiency, Sterling Ranch partnered with the Denver Botanic Gardens, which curated a landscaping package that not only requires less water, but also results in a beautiful, resilient use of open space. Each resident also gets to work with a landscape architect to personalize their own water-conscious landscape plan. According to the developer, residents take pride in the difference they’re making.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Beyond Sterling Ranch’s innovation with water conservation, the community places high value on technology and energy. Up to 8-Gigabite fiber runs into every home. According to the developer, residents have been thrilled with the experience of having reliable connectivity, especially during COVID when families had more than enough bandwidth to work and do school from home. Each home also has two water meters so residents can monitor their indoor and outdoor water use as well as solar (unless residents opt out).
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Providence Village was the first village to be developed. Woodley Architectural Group helped develop the design guidelines for each village. The goal was to design homes true to historic Colorado, not a style transported from another region or even country. The four styles utilized for Providence Village were Colorado Ranch, Colorado Foothills, Early Colorado, and Modern Colorado.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Each village pivots with market conditions and the latest village has gotten denser as development continues to provide more attainable opportunities. Builders are even finding success with townhomes and 3-story single-family detached homes in Ascent Village and Prospect Village that weren’t built in Providence Village. The Apex Collection by Pulte Homes, seen here, is an example of the clustered detached homes included in Ascent Village. This collection will be featured on DesignLens in early 2024. When Pulte decided to build in Colorado, Sterling Ranch was the first place they wanted to be, according to the developer. Their head architect from Phoenix spent weeks with the Sterling Ranch Development Company and Woodley Architectural Group to redesign all their homes exterior styles in Colorado themes.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Parks like Providence Park are scattered throughout the community, which gives residents multiple open-air retreats outside of their homes. Landscaping, while water-conscious, makes these spaces feel lush.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan

Pat Gallagher Park

 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
With a mix of landscaping, walkways, and spacious lawns, these parks are perfect for walking dogs, sitting to enjoy a book in the sun, or…
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
…spending time with family. While some parks just have shade structures and benches, others have playground equipment that is great for the many kids who live in Sterling Ranch.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
This master-planned community appeals to a wide array of buyers. Beyond the families, which support one of the community’s key values of “family,” there are also lots of empty nesters that are already thinking about aging in place. An interesting theme that the developer has seen is intergenerational living, with many moving to the area to live near their adult children or grandchildren, as well as multigenerational living. Many builders like Richmond American and Lennar are building multi-generational suites into their home designs that have found tremendous success. A group called Retiring Right, even came to interview a family where the parents bought a house to live in the ADU, their daughter and her family live in the main home, and their son lives in the 1,900 square foot finished basement.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Sterling Ranch’s branding can be found throughout the community, even on the shade structures at parks, helping residents and visitors alike know that they are at Sterling Ranch.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
While parks are prevalent throughout the community, the most popular amenities, according to the developer, are the trails. No matter the season, residents will make their way out to the planned 30-mile network of trails that weave throughout the community and connect all the villages and amenities.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
If having a third of the community dedicated to open space for running, birdwatching, and stargazing wasn’t enough for these outdoor-loving Coloradans, every resident also gets a “Keep Colorado Wild Pass” included with their vehicle registration fee. However at Sterling Ranch, the fee is credited back to homebuyers after closing. The pass gives residents access to Colorado’s 42 state parks including the two located near the community. Residents can enjoy lake activities like paddleboarding or fishing at Chatfield State Park, as well as hiking or mountain biking at Roxborough State Park. Plus, the Denver Botanic Gardens has a site near the community called Chatfield Farms that is full of kid-friendly activities and even has outdoor concerts in the summer.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Harold Smethills, a cowboy at heart, made cattle a meaningful part of the community. Firstly, they help with fire mitigation. Every winter till the beginning of summer, the community is home to a cattle herd that grazes and tramples down the grass, so it is less prone to catching fire. Then all the grass that the cattle eat becomes fertilizer. What a great way to contribute to their goal of stewardship of the land. Secondly, the cattle’s presence brings entertainment to the residents. Sterling Ranch hosts a big cattle drive where they bring the herd through the center of the community. Residents gather to watch and anybody who wants to be a cowboy for the day can ride along. Possibly even more exciting, they separate the mother cows in another pasture during March and February, and residents watch around 100 or 200 calves being born. This year, they decided to keep one of the calves, named Milkshake, as a permanent 4-legged resident.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
To promote wellness, which is one of the key values, the team wove trails throughout to encourage residents to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. These trails also connect residents to other villages and the amenities, so they can easily walk or bike to where they need to go within Sterling Ranch.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
The Sterling Ranch Development Company is fortunate to have great relationships with their builders. They got to pick from over 17 builders who wanted to build in Sterling Ranch and currently have seven, primarily national, builders actively building and selling homes. Richmond American Homes was the first builder at Sterling Ranch and sold the very first home in the summer of 2017, and remains a flagship builder today.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
The Sterling Center acts as a welcome center for the community but is also so much more. It houses six businesses and a large great room where locals and friends often gather for special events. Visitors can enjoy a beer at Grist Brewing Company, stream sporting events, or get together for Trivia and Bingo nights. The developer wanted to create a place that would feel like a “home away from home.”
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Note how the open space of greenery, rocks, and natural terrain surround the Sterling Center with a sea of beautiful landscaping before opening on an even more stunning view of the nearby mountains.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Atlas Coffee, a Colorado, family-owned coffee shop, is one of the businesses located at the Sterling Center. The craft coffee shop provides a variety of drinks as well as food and even ice cream. Other businesses at the Center include ENT Credit Union, Visionaire Eye Consultants, Grist Brewing Company, Lake Family Dental, and UCHealth. This mix of businesses allows residents to get a lot of their needs met without ever having to leave the community, from food to medical to banking.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
One of the major benefits of living in this master-planned community is having everything you need within convenient proximity. UCHealth provides primary care, urgent care, physical therapy, and occupational medicine services all within Sterling Ranch. It’s also important to pick the right partners. Sterling Ranch Development Company puts a lot of consideration in who they partner with, whether it be Siemens to help develop a state-of-the-art smart tech community, their Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) partnership to supply renewable water, or UCHealth.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
Beyond meeting some of their major needs, the developers support families with onsite education. The Primrose School provides premier early education and childcare, serving infants to kindergarteners, after-schoolers, their families, and the community. Owned by Sterling Ranch pioneer residents, the school is even more committed in helping build a brighter future for all children and build their love of learning from an early age.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
In addition to the Sterling Center, residents can also gather in the Overlook Clubhouse, a beautiful 4,900-square-foot amenity center located in Providence Village, which opened in October 2020. Designed by Woodley Architectural Group, the architecture continues the Colorado feel seen in the rest of the community with stacked stone, siding, and metal accents.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
According to the developer, the clubhouse was a major step toward fulfilling their mission of promoting healthy living. Not only does the clubhouse include a state-of-the-art fitness center and pool, but it also serves as a social and recreational hub for the entire community.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
The clubhouse includes a great room with a catering kitchen and two outdoor pavilions, all of which can be reserved for private parties, special occasions, and outdoor events.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan
When residents buy a home in a master plan, they’re also buying into a larger community. Sterling Ranch has a long list of clubs that help residents find like-minded people. Residents also benefit from the community’s lifestyle director, who plans a variety of events, as well as builds relationships with neighborhood businesses.
 / 
Sterling Ranch Master Plan

In addition to the network of trails, residents can also hit the fitness center and enjoy the view while working out. Sterling Ranch also hosts all sorts of in-house fitness classes like “Strength & Stretch” that combines muscle-building with barre, yoga, and Pilates exercises or “Storytime Yoga” which offers interactive story time for kids and their caregivers.

 / 
Enlarge / More info
prev
next
Design analysis
View All Images
View All Images close

Sterling Ranch Master Plan

Photography by Eric Lucero Photography
Product type
Masterplan

Consultants

Builders

–

Architects

Interior designers

–

Landscape Architects

Developers

JBREC Consultant

Ken Perlman
Managing Principal
San Diego, CA
kperlman@jbrec.com

Location

8155 Piney River Avenue Suite 150
Phone number
Region Southwest
State Colorado
City Littleton
Zip Code 80125