Citizen Centennial 10-18-2013
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 48
ROAD TO PROGRESS
October 18, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
Developer drops plan for project 77-acre annexation proceedings stall By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews.com
Roadwork on Orchard Road between Logan Street and Cherrywood Circle in Centennial caused minor delays Oct. 14 when Orchard was limited to one lane. The city has budgeted $6.6 million in 2013 to replace asphalt on city streets and do other necessary road repairs. Photo by George Lurie
cEnTEnniAl mAyORAl cAnDiDATES
Bromley calls for Noon wants city small government to plan for future By George Lurie
glurie@ ourcoloradonews.com Monika Bromley is running for mayor against incumbent Cathy Noon. Born in Torrance, Calif., Bromley is a part-time yoga instructor and mother of five. She has an associate’s degree in paralegal studies and is the secretary of the Chaparral HOA. Before becoming a full-time stay-athome mom, Bromley worked as a paralegal and also as an executive assistant for a mining company and law firm. This is her first run for political office. She has lived in Centennial for 13 years. Colorado Community Media asked the following questions of candidates for public office in Centennial. Below are Bromley’s answers. Why are you seeking this office? I am not seeking office for myself. I have no political aspirations. I am doing this
for the citizens of Centennial. I aspire to be the voice of the citizens. I got involved because I had concerns regarding the path our city was heading. I wanted to make sure we were sticking to the core values this city was built on. I am proud to live here and want others to feel the same way. W h a t Bromley makes you the best person for the job? I am the best person, because I AM NOT A POLITICIAN. I am here as a citizen to help keep our city on the right track. I will bring honesty, integrity and accessibility to the office of mayor. I will bring fresh ears, eyes and ideas into the office. I will not
Bromley continues on Page 27
By George Lurie
glurie@ ourcoloradonews.com Cathy Noon, who describes herself as a “lifelong community volunteer and organizer,” was elected Centennial’s mayor in 2009. Married with two children, Noon is running for re-election against Monika Bromley. Noon and her husband, Jim, own Centennial Container Inc., a packaging company, and Recycle Care, a recycling company for paper, plastic and metal waste products. Noon also works for Community Resource Services managing water and metropolitan districts. She studied theater at the University of Maryland and University of Colorado at Denver and has lived in Centennial for 14 years. Colorado Community Media asked the following questions of candidates for public office in Centennial. Below
are Noon’s answers. Why are you seeking this office? It has been an honor to serve as mayor for the past four years. Centennial has many successes to be proud of — healthy finances, beautiful Center Park, awards and acknowlNoon edgments for innovation and as Money magazine’s 47th best place to live in the U.S. I plan to continue to use my business, civic, and community experience to make Centennial the best city to live, work and play. What Centennial does, it should do well. City council will lose four members due to term limits so it is important
This week, we feature Q&As with all of Centennial’s city council candidates. Here’s where to find them: • District 1, Page 4 • District 2, Page 6 • District 3, Page 16 • District 4, Page 17
Noon continues on Page 27
A developer has withdrawn an annexation petition and dropped plans to build the Dry Creek Corporate Center, a large, mixeduse office development once targeted for a vacant parcel near Easter Avenue and Havana Street. City council had scheduled a public hearing Oct. 14 on the proposed annexation of 77 acres of unincorporated Arapahoe County earmarked for the Dry Creek project. But the hearing was canceled that night after Deputy City Manager Wayne Reed announced that Westfield Company, the project’s developer, had decided not to move forward. The project was derailed, according to Reed, because of the additional cost to the developer of required street improvements to Easter and Havana that would bring the major arteries into compliance with city standards. Reed explained that Westfield had initiated the annexation request because the developer’s master plan required access to both Easter and Havana, streets that fall within the city’s current boundaries. In order to make the required street improvements, Westfield reportedly had sought financial concessions from the property owner, and the owner had balked at the additional project costs. Representatives from Westfield did not attend this week’s city council meeting nor did they respond to telephone messages seeking comment on their decision to back away from the project. Earlier this month, City Attorney Robert Widner received a letter from the developer notifying city officials that the annexation request was being withdrawn, and at the Oct. 14 regular city council session, he told council members that because Westfield had withdrawn its annexation petition, the city council no longer had jurisdiction to rule over the proposed annexation. City officials, including members of the council, appeared somewhat frustrated by the sudden collapse of the Dry Creek project. Reed said a significant amount of staff time and energy has been put into the annexation proposal. “The city has been in negotiations with the developer for the past six weeks,” he said. At a public hearing held Sept. 25, the Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission gave unanimous approval to an Initial Zoning Plan for the Dry Creek Corporate Center. Westfield had petitioned the city to annex the property as part of an ambitious master plan to build a sprawling, mixed-use development that could have included up to 2.4 million square feet of low- to mid-rise office space. “We always want good development and a cooperative partnership between owners, developers and the city,” said Mayor Cathy Noon. “Sometimes, people start down a path and then the path changes,” Noon added. “In this case, there was a large transportation project — improvements to the city’s streets — attached to it and the pieces just didn’t come together. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future?”
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