Arapahoe County and Centennial Airport have acted to protect both the quality of life and the economic future of the area near the airport by precluding residential development on 379 acres of vacant land adjacent to one of the nation’s busiest general aviation facilities.
Under a plan unveiled last week, the airport will buy 27 acres acres outright and reserve it for industrial uses. Arapahoe County will buy another 25 acres from its open space fund to provide additional land for the Bronco Parkway soccer complex. Another 327 acres in the Dove Valley Business Park will remain in private hands, but the airport will acquire a permanent covenant over the property that forbids residential use while assuring that the land can be used for industrial space and warehousing – uses already allowed by its existing zoning.
In taking these cooperative steps, the airport and county officials have shown they understand the lessons of airport history – that residential development near runways eventually generates political pressure that forces the closure of such runways.
This process has already happened twice in the Denver area. Both Stapleton Airport and Lowry Air Force Base were originally built on open land to the east of the city. But Denver allowed residential development to encroach right up to the borders of both aviation facilities. Jet noise forced Lowry to restrict flight operations in 1960 and close its final runway in 1964. The base continued as a technical training center for another 30 years, but its lack of a runway was cited by the Department of Defense in 1991 as one of the reasons for its eventual closure.
Likewise, Denver considered expanding Stapleton to the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but was unable to overcome fierce opposition to jet noise stemming from the nearby Park Hill neighborhood. The city finally had to spend billions to build a new and more-distant airport at the current Denver International Airport site.
In contrast, Buckley Air Force Base remains in operation today in part because Aurora acted 30 years ago to restrict residential development near the facility. The issue was reopened last year when developers asked Aurora for a zoning change to allow more than 1,000 homes on 200 acres in a development called Murphy Creek North, about three-quarters of a mile from the Buckley runway. Their application is still pending.
In The Post’s opinion, the lesson of history is crystal clear. Vacant land near airport runways should be reserved for open space or industrial uses, not homes.
By acting in concert, the airport and county have protected future residents from the ordeal of jet noise while trying to ensure that Centennial Airport’s estimated $1 billion annual economic impact won’t follow the airport to a new site someday.
