We’ve long considered a plan to transform a portion of the old Lowry bombing range into a residential community to be a good use of the defunct military installation.
And we still believe it’s a laudable idea.
But as several Aurora city officials recently pointed out, there are unanswered questions about whether the infrastructure can be developed to support the 13,000 residential units proposed for the property.
Issues of water availability and road capacity must be resolved before the first bulldozer roars into action. The developer, Lend Lease Communities, says it is working on the matter, and we look forward to seeing the proposed solutions.
At issue is a 26,000-acre parcel of property, 15 miles southeast of Denver, that the U.S. Army and Navy used during World War II for shelling practice.
With its sweeping views and abundance of wildlife, it is a lovely piece of land. It is also thought to be the largest undeveloped tract held by one owner in such close proximity to a metropolitan area.
Through a land swap with the federal government, Colorado came to own the property. It is held in trust by the State Land Board, which has the mandate to both maximize its value in an effort to raise money for K-12 education, and to conserve significant portions of it as open space and wildlife habitat.
In the last two years, the board has sought and evaluated proposals from potential developers. Board members approved an agreement last month that would have 3,800 acres developed for residential use, 260 acres of commercial development, and 705 acres of open space and trails.
The land board still is working on a deal with the Arapahoe Grassland Conservancy intended to preserve the remaining land for recreation, education and restoration.
Projections show the development will generate $328 million in revenue over two decades, which is $80 million more than the project is expected to cost the school system due to increased enrollment.
That financial support is sorely needed by the K-12 system.
But first, Lend Lease, an Australian company, must convince land use regulators that there is sufficient water for the project, which is just east of Aurora Reservoir.
Aurora city officials also have raised valid concerns about the carrying capacity of the largely two-lane country roads in the area.
Arapahoe County’s planning manager, Jan Yeckes, said the issue of infrastructure development is complex, but added developers will have a key role in devising ways to pay for it.
Developers could borrow money for improvements via a special district, so that only the beneficiaries – the future homeowners – would pay for upgrades in the form of assessments or taxes. One of the complicating factors is that the proposed development is remote, so it would be expensive to tie it into existing water and sewage systems. If fees or taxes were to become too high, they could make home prices in the development uncompetitive with other residential projects in the region.
There are solutions, but as might be expected, they are neither cheap nor easy. However, it’s imperative these issues be resolved so that a good plan doesn’t turn into one that’s untenable.
