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the year 2020, it also provides a reasonable basis for anticipating where urban growth will occur in the period 2020 through 2050. (Figure 2.1). Since 1986, the Douglas County Planning Commission has enacted policies that direct urban growth to the Primary Urbanization Area (PUA) and municipalities. The intent was to focus development in those areas to minimize sprawl and impacts to air quality and to maximize public and private investment in schools, roads, water and sewer service. The county also recognizes four Separate Urban Areas (SUAs) - Roxborough Park, Castle Pines, Perry Park and the Pinery - which are outside the PUAs and typically not in proximity to major employment centers or public facilities and services. Expansion of SUAs is generally not supported. Development in Douglas County has been supported through developer-proposed and local government-sanctioned water and sanitation districts, metropolitan districts and other special districts. These special districts were supported because: . Douglas County provides limited services; . There are limited existing service connections and capacities; . Desire by local governments to localize debt retirement and operating costs to property owners within the districts; . Desire of developers to obtain low-cost, tax-free, investment financing including general obligation bonds; . Desire to shift debt obligations to existing and future property owners within the Districts. 2.2.5 Emphasis on Retaining Open Spaces - With the adoption of the Comprehensive Master Plan in 2001, Douglas County confirmed that future growth would be guided to focused areas while pursuing conservation opportunities for open spaces. At this time, Douglas County has conserved and preserved over 37,000 acres of open spaces including the 21,000-acre Greenland Ranch. Other significant open space areas include the Highlands Ranch Open Space Conservation Area (OSCA), the adjacent Cherokee Ranch, Pinecliff Ranch, and Stewardship Ranch adjacent to the Castlewood Canyon State Park. These open spaces were acquired through partnering with conservation land trusts, private conservation buyers, community groups, municipalities, State Park and wildlife agencies and through grants from Great Outdoors Colorado. Through land use controls, design standards, the use of the Rural Site Plan process, clustering, and other mechanisms, Douglas County intends to achieve the preservation of large tracts of open space lands. The Douglas County Planning Commission continues to direct urban development to designated areas. Urban development is generally characterized as residential uses at a gross density greater than one dwelling unit per 2.5 acres and by commercial, business and industrial zoning. The Plan also draws from the Metro Vision 2020 Plan adopted by the Denver Regional Council of Governments in recognition and support of regional goals and objectives for open space, freestanding communities, urban centers and environmental quality . Page 2-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .