Aurora – As a plane flew overhead, a small Canada goose worked feverishly to secure something to eat from a pool of muddy water.
One day, that goose and others like it will have plenty of places to search for food in the soon-to-be-developed High Point area southwest of Denver International Airport.
Local governments in that area are increasingly trying to ensure that happens by dedicating land for open space as diligently as they can near DIA, where residential and commercial development is expected to explode over the next 15 years.
At High Point alone, about 1,600 single-family homes are expected to be built, with another 1,400 multi-family units. Almost 190 acres of parks and open space are planned for the area straddling Denver and Aurora.
“The really neat thing about it is that there is an overall vision that in time, all these pieces will be connected,” Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer said. “It’s a different kind of development than what we were doing 20 years ago. We’ve learned what makes a community sustainable in the long run.”
A big part of that is open space, whether it be parks, trails, wildlife areas, even golf courses. A series of trails and greenbelts and open space will connect Aurora, Denver, Commerce City, Brighton, Thornton and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Dubbed the Northeast Greenway Corridor, the plan is for 150 miles of trails and greenbelts, funded by grants and potential money from a settlement over the arsenal.
Brighton recently won a grant for a master plan with 400 acres of open space near East 152nd Avenue and the South Platte River, with lakes, open space and wildlife areas. Adams County and Aurora plan new greenbelts and trails for the area near the airport.
Officials are working to secure the land now, so that there are plenty of places to enjoy nature amid the proliferation of homes.
“The urgency is the fact that Adams County is really growing right now,” said Gary Wardle, Brighton’s director of parks and recreation. “There is a real effort to try to preserve these corridors prior to development happening.”
In Aurora, acquiring land for open space near DIA was crucial, said Curtis Bish, a parks planner for Aurora. He said that in the six developments planned west of DIA, almost 700 acres are earmarked for parks and open space.
Denver officials say they are pleased, but even more work needs to be done.
“With any development, one of the first questions we have is what is the plan for open space,” said Denver City Councilman Michael Hancock, who represents the neighborhoods closest to the airport. “Open space is a priority. I think that area has a tremendous network of parks, and we are continuing to fine-tune that.”
Rob Coney, Adams County’s director of planning and development, said the county has a slightly different strategy than some of its neighbors.
Much of its land near the airport is classified “estate residential,” meaning larger homes on several-acre properties, which allows for more natural green space even if it is private.
The county also works with farmers and ranchers to secure deals that they won’t sell their land to private developers.
When the Aurora portion of Green Valley Ranch is built out, that neighborhood will have 276 acres of open space and parks.
The key to acquiring that land is working with developers, Aurora’s mayor said.
Tauer said developers are more open to setting aside land for open space than they were in the past, seeing parks and trails as commodities to lure residents to purchase new homes.
“This is not just the cities forcing developers to do it,” Tauer said. “Good developers see how this can be an amenity for their project.”
That is welcome news to people such as Jay and Amy Walp, who were recently walking their dog, Jasper, at the Morrison Nature Center on the Star K Ranch in Aurora. The ranch is a 200- acre natural area and outdoor learning center located along the Sand Creek Greenway, which officials plan to link to the Northeast Greenway Corridor.
The Walps say they enjoy this bit of nature within the city. Sometimes, if they are lucky, they get a glimpse of deer bedding down near the creek.
“We saw a couple of bucks and some doe in there one time,” Jay Walp said. “It’s great to be able to do this in the city.”
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
