1
October 16, 2014 VOLU M E 1 3 | I SS UE 39 SPECIAL SECTION
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Lone Tree looking to future
Contractor delays jam highway
By Jane Reuter
Commuters start week with up to two-hour back-up on I-25
City eyes growth, ways to bolster businesses
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com As Charles Schwab’s first wave of employees unpacks boxes at the firm’s new corporate campus, Lone Tree already is scanning its economic horizon. The small city with plenty of room to grow is on a development roll, and its leaders want to keep the momentum going. Economic development director Jeff Holwell, who joined the city’s staff earlier this year, mapped out a vision for Lone Tree during the city council’s Oct. 7 work session. The plan recommends Lone Tree target mostly high-paying industries to locate and expand there, strengthen and grow its retail base and ensure businesses already operating within the city limits thrive. It suggests an upgrade to the city`s website, more social media to highlight the city’s restaurants and retailers, a survey to gauge the satisfaction of current business owners and marketing the city to real estate agents and corporate site selectors. Many of these are tasks at which Lone Tree already has proven itself capable. “I think the city for a very long time has had a very ambitious agenda,” said Holwell, formerly economic development director and chief operating officer at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. “We have a lot of geographic advantages.” Both Interstate 25 and C-470 cut through Lone Tree, with those major thoroughfares undergoing or soon to undergo significant upgrades. Recent state-level commitments that bolster the certainty of Growth continues on Page 39
By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Several more commercial sites are reserved for development at RidgeGate Commons. The sole tenant to-date, Cabela’s, is viewed through the window of a home under construction at the adjacent Montecito neighborhood. Photos by Jane Reuter
LEFT: Lone Tree wants to continue emphasizing health care in future economic development. University of Colorado (pictured), Sky Ridge and Kaiser Permanente already have large facilities in the city. RIGHT: Among the many ongoing Lone Tree projects, construction is underway on the future site of Snooze and another as-yet-unnamed restaurant at Lincoln Commons.
An Englewood-based contractor was fined for its role in a Monday morning rush-hour traffic jam Oct. 13. Commuters on northbound I-25 near Lone Tree were delayed by up to two hours when contractor Interstate Highway Construction failed to re-open three full lanes of traffic by the 5:30 a.m. contract deadline. Traffic instead was restricted to one northbound lane until about 7 a.m. “They needed to finish striping on the ramp,” said Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Emily Wilfong. “This is a major milestone in the project. This is work they would have preferred to have done earlier, but due to weather, wet roads (and other factors), it just came down to crunch time. They weren’t able to open the three lanes, which we’ve committed to having open through the lifecycle of this project.” The critical work completed that morning from Lincoln Avenue to County Line Road will shift northbound traffic to the west and reconfigured ramp lanes at northbound Lincoln and the C-470 interchange to accommodate construction through the work zone. The new alignment will be in place for the rest of 2014 while crews widen northbound I-25. Wilfong said the construction contract calls for keeping three lanes of traffic open between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. “The first half hour they’re late is a warning,” she said. “After that, they’re fined per half hour that they’re late.” Wilfong described IHC as a “fantastic” contractor. “Unfortunately, this did happen,” she said. “It’s such a delicate balance with this contrition work. Even the slightest delay can really mess things up for folks as they’re traveling during these peak hours. It’s this struggle between getting something done and getting it right, and trying not to interrupt traffic.” Wilfong couldn’t estimate how many phone calls and emails CDOT received about the tie-up. “It was not a fun morning,” she said. “Really, we’re just trying to focus on this not happening again. Luckily with this project, they’re not going to be doing closures of this sort for a long time. We just appreciate people’s patience as much as possible knowing there will be an end result, which is more mobility for that corridor.” IHC did not return calls requesting comment by press time. The $32-million I-25 lane-balancing project, which will add an additional lane in each direction from Lincoln Avenue to County Line Road, is slated for completion in June 2016. The project will also improve traffic patterns from the C-470 southbound off-ramp and northbound Lincoln on-ramp merges, and improve pedestrian trail connections. CDOT, Douglas County, Lone Tree and the Denver Regional Council of Governments are funding the project.
It takes a community to deliver the news Dear reader: Each October, we ask our loyal readers to make a voluntary contribution to help offset the cost of bringing you your hometown newspaper. It takes a large team of highly skilled journalists, editors, printers, designers, carriers and administrative staff to bring you this newspaper, and your voluntary contribution goes a long way toward helping us maintain this staff. In 2014, we have won numerous awards and greatly expanded our websites. We also have significantly increased the use of full
color, eliminating black-and-white pages, making our pages more interesting and vi-
brant. Next year, we plan on expanding our news coverage to have more local people mentioned each week while still keeping you updated on government, entertainment, sports, events and more. If you enjoy what we deliver, then we invite you to make a voluntary contribution. We are requesting $25 (48 cents per week), but feel free to contribute any amount, higher or lower. This year for a contribution of $25 or more, we will donate $5 to one of three charities of your choice: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, the
Disabled Veterans National Foundation or the Dumb Friends League. There are two ways to donate. Either locate the envelope inside this newspaper and mail your check to us, or you can go online at www.ColoradoCommunityMedia. com/readerscare and securely make your contribution. Thank you for being a loyal reader. We look forward to delivering more of your hometown’s news during the next year. — Jerry Healey, publisher