DENVER—A future vision for an “airport city” at Denver International Airport is bumping into a vision from the past, according to Adams County and mayors from communities surrounding the airport.
Those communities, including Aurora, say long-term development plans violate a 25-year-old intergovernmental agreement that limits the types of businesses allowed on airport property. The deal was reached when Denver annexed land for the airport, The Denver Post reported Friday ( ).
Adams County officials fear the airport developments will draw business away from their developments.
Last week, Aurora and Adams County asked Denver to send representatives to a committee formed to address the conflict.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan avoided the issue at a breakfast event in Denver on Friday.
Hancock unveiled a 30-year plan to develop three areas, including a 22-mile corridor that follows a commuter light-rail line from downtown to the airport that he called the “Aerotropolis and Corridor of Opportunity.”
“If we do this right, and I mean by doing it smart, the entire region will share 40,000 new jobs and $2 billion economic impact,” Hancock said.
Hogan touted Aurora’s amenities such as include affordable land, the Fitzsimons Medical Campus, a military base, as well as its own water supply.
“I don’t know about you, but to borrow a real estate phrase, that sounds to me like ‘location, location, location,” he said.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
