SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E
VOLUME 34 32
C I T Y
50cI
34 ISSUE SSUE 48
TUESDAY AUGUST 17, TUESDAY , N, OVEMBER 24,2021 2020
New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit dining, personal gatherings Spaceport area plans upindoor for future discussions BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Adams County commissioners signed off on the bulk of the plan for a sub-district around the Colorado Air and Spaceport but said they need more time to consider its plans. The reason is the planned Aerotropolis project was not part of the analysis. Adams County Community Economic Development Department case manager Nick Eagleson presented the plans for Colorado Air and Spaceport to the Adams County Commissioners for approval in a public hearing Aug. 3. “I did not see a mention of the CDOT reference or study of the Aerotropolis area,” said Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio. The planning processes Eagleson team posted a proposal and selected a consultant, Steven Chester, with Kimley-Horn in the spring of 2020. They also put together an advisory group, steering committee and stakeholder groups. “I want to mention running concurrently is the Colorado Air Spaceport Master Plan, and Dave Ruppel, the director of CASP, is heading and focusing on expanding aerospace and spaceport capabilities while the subarea plan looks at the overall area outside of the spaceport,” Eagleson said.
Land surrounding Colorado Air and Spaceport up for development.
with residents, business owners and landowners. “We also designated a website that was super handy and helpful to conduct online workshops and multiple Background surveys engaging with them to get The intended vision is for the land public input,” he noted. In feedback, the team developed use that surrounds CASP is developsix land use designations: industry ment of infrastructure, roadways hub, aerospace and innovation, and public The sub-district A long lineutilities. of cars outside the city of Brighton’s rapid testing site at light industrial, mixed-use indusplans are a guide for short- and Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent trial, green energy and sustainable long-term goals along with policies, weeks due tomarket high demand. Adams County’s 14-daycommunity test positivity rate agriculture, hubs and standard and potential, neighborhood including jobs. as of Nov. 17, according was 15.9 percent, to Tri-Countyresidential. Health Department. The team concerns “We incorporated different plans Brighton and Commerce City’s test positivity rates also werereceived both higher than from the public comments. The resiand studies with multiple jurisdic13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have dents were worried about the future tions in the subarea, including the died from COVID-19 issues. Touse’s limit impact the spread of COVID-19, land on property values town of Bennett and related the cityhealth of and how would it impactindoor business Aurora. We looked at the Aurora at least 15 counties moved to tighter restrictions that prohibits and and Bennett’s comprehensive plans, operations. Another question was if personal gatherings. including the Aurora transportation there would be added flexibility for residential development in the town study and Adams County comprehensive plan as well,” said Eagleson. of Bennett. The county’s comments revolved Photo by Belen Ward around using the sub-district plan Future planning process in the transportation master plans Eagleson’s team developed focus and working on updating the comgroup meetings to directly meet
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prehensive plan with “Advancing Adams.” Another area of interest was the potential of new parks, open spaces and trails within the subdistrict. “As far as outreach, we worked with the steering committee throughout the entire process, we saw what challenges and opportuniBy Ellis Arnold ties would be within the subarea,” Colorado Community Media Eagleson said. “We are also in collaboration between multiple As Denver metro continue jurisdictions suchcounties as the city of to inch closer to local stay-at-home orders Aurora water and planning staff and Economic underAurora Colorado’s system ofDevelopment, coronavirusAdams County and Economic related restrictions, theMetro state announced Development.” Other agencies a new levelare of rules that prohibits indoor involved the city of Denver, dining and personal gatherings — a Arapahoe County and representachangefrom that the applies to the majority of the tives spaceport. “When youarea brought forward plans Denver metro and many counties in to the board of county commisother regions. sioners before, you laid out some The state’s COVID-19 dial, which options, do you remember whathas been in effect since September, is the set those were, can you walk through of different levels of restrictions that each what are the final outcomes?” asked O’Dorisio.
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“Those options were not of future land use but the current zoning within the subarea. We put out preferred alternatives and also a hybrid alternative of future land use recommendations on what it would look like, “ said Eagleson. “We asked for your feedback on what made the most suchtoasfollow do we needona the countysense. is required based little bitofmore sustainable agriculseverity a county’s local virus spread. ture and green energy type of land The dial grew out of the state’s safer-atuses? Or would you like to see those home order —hubs the policy came corafter community alongthat certain the statewide stay-at-home order this ridors?” “Of the options, which spring andthree allowed numerous types of was the most likely fi nal option,” businesses to reopen. O’Dorisio asked. The state recentlyalternative,” switched to color “The preferred Eagleidentifiers — levels blue, yellow and son said. orange rather than numbered levels Commissioner Eva Henry also— to asked Chester with Kimley-Horn avoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, level red why Areotropolis considered meantwasn’t a stay-at-home order. Now, level inside of the plan. red — “severe risk” — is the second“I’m shocked you don’t know the plan he tells Chester especially
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