Denver is seeking to expand its foreign-trade zone into an industrial park near Windsor, with hopes the designation will help attract and retain jobs in Colorado.
The expanded zone, initially approved Tuesday by the Denver City Council’s economic-development committee, would include Great Western Industrial Park. The Broe Cos., a Denver-based real- estate and transportation-investment company, is developing the park.
A foreign-trade zone is a site within the U.S. that is considered by the federal government to be outside customs territory. It can lift or delay tariffs on imported goods.
Denver’s two foreign-trade-zone sites – in the Stapleton and Denver International Airport areas – total 13 acres and are underused, said Tim Martinez of the Denver Office of Economic Development.
The Windsor site would encompass more than 500 acres, Martinez said, and help draw large manufacturers to Colorado and bring goods through Denver International Airport.
The industrial park is near Broe’s Great Western Railway and the Eastman Kodak facility.
Denver also approved a resolution for a special purpose foreign-trade zone for Kodak.
Owens-Illinois Inc. opened a bottle- manufacturing facility in the area last year, and Front Range Energy LLC is building an ethanol plant.
The foreign-trade zone “puts us in a position to more aggressively pursue companies that want to manufacture in the United States and provide them with the right advantages and environment to bring their jobs into the area,” said Alex Yeros, Broe’s managing director.
One opportunity is businesses that work with Kodak.
“Kodak’s manufacturing facility is certainly going through a lot of transition as that entire industry has moved from film to digital, but we’re hoping that the type of things we all do to help Kodak is going to help keep jobs and investment in the area,” Yeros said.
Broe also is attempting to annex the industrial-zoned property in Weld County into the town of Windsor.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-820-1488 or kyamanouchi@ denverpost.com.
