Golden – The Jefferson Economic Council this week celebrates its 50th anniversary as Colorado’s oldest independent economic development group.
That longevity provides a rich history: Jefferson County is home to economic engines such as space company Lockheed Martin Corp., medical manufacturer Gambro, brewer Molson Coors and the government’s National Renewal Energy Laboratory.
But it also creates challenges.
Jefferson County is “to a large degree built out,” said Preston Gibson, president and CEO of the council. “We are positioning ourselves for the future.”
The county, population 529,401, has densely populated tracts of residential development that are dependent on county services. It could benefit from more commercial development.
For those and other reasons, the next 50 years could prove a lot tougher for the council and Jeffco than the previous 50.
“Of all the counties in the region, the one that will be the most challenged for job creation throughout the rest of the century will be Jeffco,” said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.
But Jeffco is working to free up some large tracts for future growth, said Michelle Claymore, director of business location and expansion with the council.
The Jeffco Aiport, host of Tuesday’s anniversary event, has 600 acres to its southwest available for development, with a focus on corporate aviation and aerospace.
The Rooney Valley area east of E-470 and south of Interstate 70 could provide up to 5,000 acres for mixed-use development.
Lakewood has the opportunity to attract development in the Federal Center, including a new campus for St. Anthony Central Hospital.
Areas around Rocky Flats, the former nuclear weapons plant, should open up in coming years as the cleanup of that site is completed.
The “missing link” to the county’s future development, at least on its northern edge, is the completion of the Northwest Parkway, the final segment of a toll highway encircling the metro area.
The road has faced opposition from residents in Golden and surrounding areas, who fear a funnel of traffic dumping into their community, but economic-development officials see it as a necessary component of the county’s future.
“Jobs follow infrastructure,” Gibson said.
Farther south, the FasTracks light-rail transportation project also should benefit Lakewood and provide redevelopment opportunities, Gibson said.
The council plans to hold a session with futurists to probe new directions for an old county, Gibson said.
With oil prices at $50 a barrel, Clark said, the county is in a position to benefit from its concentration of alternative-energy researchers and providers.
“They will never be the weak sister; they will have to work harder,” Clark said of Jeffco.
Staff writer Aldo Svaldi can be reached at 303-820-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com.
