Douglas County's Second-Place Ranking Rankles Developers, Business Leaders

DENVER-A national survey has ranked Douglas County as second in the nation for growth prospects, news that has not been greeted warmly by developers and business leaders.

A decade ago, business leaders would welcome such news. But Douglas County, southeast and southwest of Denver, is growing so fast that the county is hard-pressed to keep up with the influx of people and companies. “I think I would rather see less growth,” Peter Neukirch, president of the Southeast Business Partnership, told GlobeSt.com. “I would like to see it moderate a bit. It’s come so fast and furious over the past 10 years that it has caused a number of headaches.” Overcrowded schools and housing demands are cause for concern as more companies move into the area and build more office buildings, he says.