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The Comprehensive Plan for the City of Aurora, Colorado Adopted by Ordinance 2018-37 Effective October 27, 2018
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Aurora Places would not have been possible without generous participation from the Aurora community. The unprecedented diversity of community stakeholders were integral to developing the city's vision and planning for its future. Additional information about public input into Aurora Places can be found in Chapter 3.
Bob LeGare
Mayor
Crystal Murillo
Ward I
Nicole Johnston
Ward II
Marsha Berzins
Mayor Pro Tem and Ward III
Charlie Richardson
Ward IV
Bob Roth
Ward V
Francoise Bergan
Ward VI
Dave Gruber
At-Large
Allison Hiltz
At-Large
Angela Lawson
At-Large
Johnny Watson
At-Large
Stephen D. Hogan
Mayor
Sally Mounier
Ward I
Renie Peterson
Ward II
Barbara Cleland
At-Large
Brad Pierce
At-Large
Bob Bengen
Chair
Dennis Lyon
Vice Chair
Dexter Harding
Leigh Hettick
Dana Jackiewicz
Dan Staley
Jim Twombly
City Manager
Jason Batchelor
Deputy City Manager
Nancy Freed
Deputy City Manager
Michelle Wolfe
Deputy City Manager
Janice Napper
Assistant City Manager
Roberto Venegas
Assistant City Manager
Skip Noe
Former City Manager
Michael Hyman
City Attorney
Daniel L. Brotzman
Interim City Attorney
Dan Money
Assistant City Attorney
George Adams
Planning and Development Services
Marshall Brown
Aurora Water
Kim Stuart
Communications
Terri Velasquez
Finance
Fernando Gray
Fire
Shelley McKittrick
Homeless Program
Aleta Jeffress
Information Technology
Diana Giordano
Human Resources
Patti Bateman
Library and Cultural Services
Malcolm Hankins
Neighborhood Services
Tom Barrett
Parks, Recreation and Open Space
Nicholas Metz
Police
Dave Chambers
Public Works
Jeff Thompson University of Colorado Health
Michael Del Giudice University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus
Kasia Kubiak Smulka Buckley Air Force Base
Tamara Mohamed Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Sonda 'Sunny' Banka Sunny Homes and Associates
Jan Yeckes Arapahoe County
Abel Montoya Adams County
Josh Hensley Aurora Public Schools
Yuiry Gorlov Aurora Economic Development Council
Margie Sobey Resident
Hilda Perez Hilda Perez Agency
Elizabeth Neufeld Aurora Housing Authority
Tricia Allen Adams County Economic Development
Bob Bengen Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission
Dennis Lyon Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission
Karen Farquharson Montessori del Mundo
Christian Jimenez Resident
Karlyn K. Shorb Aurora Sister Cities International
Leela Timsina Bhutanese Refugee Community
Rosine Angbanzan Ivory Coast Community
Angela A. McCain Cherry Creek Schools
Chris Coble Black Label Real Estate
Justin Kerns Resident
Signy Mikita Community Housing Partners
Janie Brady Buckley Air Force Base
David Strohfus Cherry Creek Schools
Daniel Krzyzanowski Principal Planner
Robert Watkins Former Planning Director
Nate Owens Senior Planner
Julie Patterson Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist
Parrish Gibson Special Projects Coordinator
Project Team Lead:
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Houseal Lavigne Chicago, Illinois
Technical Assistance Provided by:
Raimi and Associates Berkeley, California
SE2 Communications Denver, Colorado
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Chapter 1 – The Right Plan at the Right Time 1
Chapter 2 – A City in Transition 5
Chapter 3 – Community Conversation 17
Chapter 4 – Placetypes 23
Chapter 5 – Connecting Places 49
Chapter 6 – Goals and Policies 87
Chapter 7 – Action Strategies 99
Appendix #1 – Enlarged Maps 108
Appendix #2 – Topic Index 116
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FRONT RANGE
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Much has happened in Aurora since the city's last comprehensive plan was adopted in 2009. The population has grown by 15 percent or 47,384 people, and the city has become even more diverse, with thousands of residents hailing from over 50 different countries. The Anschutz Medical Campus experienced recent exponential growth, becoming the most prominent academic health center in the Rocky Mountain region. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) opened the R Line light rail—our Aurora Line—adding seven new stations in Aurora, increasing mobility in the city and connecting the region to Aurora. Stanley Marketplace, Stapleton Aurora, the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, the Hyatt Regency Aurora–Denver Conference Center, and numerous new projects at rail stations and on the eastern plains have been completed or are underway.
Together, these changes—and many yet to come—offer opportunities and challenges as Aurora rapidly evolves from a mid-size, suburban community to a large city. Aurora Places will provide the foundation for these efforts by describing a general path forward and identifying and addressing trends, needs and opportunities broadly and comprehensively. Aurora Places includes the following:
What is Aurora Places and how is it used? It is a foundation for decision-making and focuses on planning and connecting places.
How is Aurora changing, and what are some of the key issues that need to be addressed? It describes challenges associated with the economy, housing, population and natural resources.
What did we hear from the community? Aurora Places engaged residents, businesses, officials and city staff in an extended conversation concerning important matters in the city and ways to successfully move forward. The conversation provided ideas concerning a strong economy, population diversity, housing variety, health, the environment, improved mobility, and an improved and authentic reputation.
What types of places need to be planned and developed or improved in Aurora? Aurora Places describes types of places and principles to be employed in planning and developing these places. It includes a map showing the proposed general locations for these placetypes.
How does the city connect the different places? This chapter describes concepts for city form, transportation, water, parks and open space, cultural resources, strategic areas and other means for providing connection and choice in the community.
What are the detailed goals and recommended practices for Aurora? Both were formulated based on an understanding of issues facing the city, what we heard during the community conversation and a grasp of placetypes and connections.
What are the immediate action steps that should be taken to implement the goals and policies in the plan? It describes some of the tools that can be used immediately, along with specific strategies and measurements for success.
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It is designed to serve as a foundation for decision-making related to growth and development in Aurora. It presents a vision for the future, with long-range goals and recommended actions for a variety of public activities. The vision identified in Aurora Places is based on a public engagement and outreach process more extensive than that of any previous planning initiative. The information that residents, business owners, subject matter experts, city officials, staff and other stakeholders provided was critical to understanding the community’s concerns, aspirations and priorities.
The plan emphasizes the importance of creating and improving the variety and types of places throughout the city. These placetypes include urban districts, neighborhoods, commercial and industrial areas and areas for innovation. Aurora Places also describes the systems that connect places citywide, including transportation, water and parks and open space.
Public outreach and engagement was key to the creation of Aurora Places. The information and feedback collected from residents, business owners, subject-matter experts and community stakeholders was critical in both understanding the community’s concerns, aspirations and priorities and responding effectively to the city’s needs. In addition, the city and its consultants conducted extensive inventory, analysis, research and assessment to fully understand the impact of the various conditions that influence planning and the context of the city as it exists today. This extensive inventory, outreach and engagement program also provided the feedback necessary to identify and establish a community vision and community principles.
A Strong Economy Principle: A strong economy with active urban places is essential for the wellbeing of residents, businesses and the community.
A Diverse and Equitable City Principle: Diversity and equity are assets to be nurtured and promoted by the city.
Housing for All Principle: High-quality housing options enable people across all socioeconomic levels, cultural practices and stages of life to establish and manage households.
A Healthy Community Principle: Eating healthy food, walking and exercising, living in a clean and safe environment and having access to medical care improves the lives of all Aurorans.
A Thriving Environment Principle: Stewardship of water, energy and natural open spaces is essential to the wellbeing and success of residents and the community.
Easy Mobility and Active Transportation Principle: An easy-to-use transportation network with multiple choices for travel supports a strong economy, healthy community and flourishing environment.
An Authentic Aurora Principle: The creation of great places, the preservation of traditionally unique places, and effective marketing and promotion are essential to improving Aurora’s image.
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Aurora is a welcoming and safe community and a city of opportunities where people of all backgrounds can prosper. Aurora is known for its unique places, strong economy, community involvement, quality and attainable housing, integrated and healthy neighborhoods, smart ways to get around and a thriving natural and cultural environment.
Aurora Places is general in nature—it cannot tackle every issue in sufficient detail to determine every type of necessary action. The plan's intent is to identify key areas of focus, define a vision for future growth and development, and provide guidance for city actions and investments over the next 10 to 20 years. In areas where more detailed information and recommendations are needed, the plan may identify additional steps or actions to address those needs. The plan serves the following key functions:
At its core, the plan should serve as a powerful statement of the community's vision for how it grows and changes in the coming years. The plan identifies the city's priorities and charts a path for the city's long-term growth.
The plan should guide and assist in the evaluation of public and private development proposals and help ensure that proposed developments support the city's long-term objectives.
The plan should serve as a foundation for zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, the official zoning map, water planning and policy, flood hazard regulations, annexation decisions and other decisions guided by these regulations. Amendments to these regulations should be made as needed to support the long-term objectives of the plan.
The plan should inform and coordinate local and regional planning initiatives at the city, county and regional levels. The plan may aid and inform efforts related to housing, transportation, transit, trails, water and natural resources, economic development, annexation, conservation and more.
The plan should inform the development of the city's capital improvement program and budgeting process and help establish priority expenditures and the sequence of capital improvement programming.
The plan establishes a path forward, but cannot address every issue in sufficient detail. It should help identify additional studies and future action steps to address specific needs.
The plan is a valuable source of information for policy makers, local boards and commissions, organizations, businesses and residents. This broad spectrum of interests should use the plan to inform members and stakeholders and provide important information that can assist with future initiatives.
Situated on prairie grasslands, rolling hills and the Black Forest's northern tip, Aurora, Colorado started as a small collection of subdivisions that incorporated initially as the town of Fletcher in 1891. In 1907, the town was renamed Aurora and was officially incorporated as the City of Aurora in 1928. The city grew steadily throughout the 20th century as the largest city adjacent to Denver's eastern border. Today, with more than 361,000 people, Aurora is among the nation's largest cities—bigger than more well-known cities like St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Aurora welcomes and celebrates the growing diversity of its population. As an emerging economic leader within the Colorado Front Range, it is a city that supports and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit of its residents. Aurora forms the eastern edge of the metropolitan area, is conveniently located next to Denver International Airport and serves as a major transportation hub. Its residents enjoy a comfortable way of life and a wealth of opportunity, with access to quality education, family friendly neighborhoods and a strong job market. Aurora has the potential to become a global destination for residents and businesses because of its diversity, location and economic opportunity.
The city's history as a suburb has resulted in obstacles that must be overcome. The city generally lacks urban places that will attract 21st-century jobs and the people who want to work in them. Housing options are not as diverse as other large cities and transportation options are increasing but need to expand citywide. Water is a critical resource that requires a strategy of planning, acquisition and conservation in order to meet future demands. The plan's name, Aurora Places, captures the essence of what Aurora needs most in its future-more options, high-quality public spaces and new urban places.
Building on a community conversation that engaged thousands of Aurorans, Aurora Places describes strategies for overcoming obstacles and forging a clear path to reach the city's full potential. This comprehensive plan will serve as a guide for decision making as the city navigates through this transitional period.
Our city needs new types of urban places and a greater variety of neighborhood experiences to attract employers and support new, higher-paid jobs and to draw the most talented workforce to fill those jobs.
For much of its history, the public viewed Aurora as a bedroom community and a suburb of Denver. But with the ever-growing prominence of key economic assets like the Anschutz Medical Campus, Buckley Air Force Base and related aerospace industries and recent additions such as Stanley Marketplace, the Amazon fulfillment center, and the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Conference Center, the city continues to be attractive to businesses and investment. Still, the majority of workers who live in our city commute to other communities to work.
Also, a majority (74 percent) of those who work in Aurora do not live in the city. Aurora is heavily dependent on its retail sales tax for revenues to support city services. In general, attracting more of its workers to live in Aurora will increase city revenues and boost the local economy.
Most workers who live in Aurora work elsewhere, likewise, most people who work in Denver live elsewhere.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies
Median Household Income and Average Annual Wage (2016)
Aurora Median Household Income
Metro Area Median Household Income
Average Annual Wage of Aurora-based Jobs
Source: American Community Survey (ACS), Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
In comparison with the metropolitan area, Aurora’s incomes have been low.
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Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
It is projected that the healthcare industry will continue to provide the greatest number of jobs in Aurora, followed by education services, retail trade and professional services. All together, these sectors account for over half the jobs in the city. While these sectors do offer some above-average and high-wage jobs–like doctors, researchers and professors–a large portion of the jobs in these fields tend to pay less. Average household and family incomes in our city are relatively low compared to neighboring communities. Families are sometimes challenged to meet their basic needs–including housing and transportation–leaving little extra spending money, which reduces the city's sales tax revenues. Since the city of Aurora is primarily dependent on sales tax revenues to support basic services such as public safety and street maintenance, increasing average family incomes is critically important.
Aurora is home to many talented and hard-working residents, but to stay competitive in the regional and national employment markets, it is essential that Aurora's workforce be equipped with the education, training and credentials needed in tomorrow's economy. The quality and readiness of Aurora's workforce can be a significant advantage in attracting and retaining growing businesses to the community.
Increasingly, the quality of life and authentic, unique places in a community dictate where both employers and employees choose to locate. Our city needs new types of urban places and a greater variety of neighborhood experiences to attract employers and support new, higher-paid jobs and to draw the most talented workforce to fill those jobs. In addition, Aurora must continue to attract primary employers and higher-income jobs to complement the current workforce and grow Aurora's economic base.
Source: Center for Economic Studies
The majority of working Aurorans are employed in healthcare, education, retail trade, or accommodation and food services.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Employment will grow in Aurora and a large portion of that growth will be in healthcare.
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Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
The increasingly diverse population offers the opportunity for our city to grow its economy by developing a unique identity and culture within the metropolitan area.
While the city has seen a steady increase in population throughout its history, a long period of rapid growth began in 1950. Establishment of Aurora’s own water utility in 1949 significantly expanded the water supply available to serve the community, allowing for substantial growth in the following decades. Aurora experienced its most dramatic population growth in the 1970s and 1980s when it added almost 150,000 people—tripling the population of the city. Although the population growth rate has slowed in recent decades, our city continues to add an average of 5,000 people each year—or roughly 50,000 people per decade—bringing the current population to over 360,000.
Aurora has become more culturally diverse and has become a majority-minority community. A fifth of Aurora’s population was born in a foreign country, a number that has grown substantially over the past couple of decades. But Aurora isn’t just known for being a place of many cultures. The city is also recognized for its racially and culturally integrated neighborhoods. Brown University research cited Aurora as the 9th most diverse at the neighborhood level and the 10th most integrated community among the 100 most populous cities in the United States.
Like other communities in the nation, Aurora is aging with a growing population of seniors. This life stage can usher in changes to housing and transportation needs, shopping habits, recreation and entertainment preferences, and health care and social service needs. New types of places will allow more residents to, “age in place” as their needs and preferences change, and continue to call Aurora their home.
Diversity extends beyond age, race or ethnicity, however. Aurora is home to households with very diverse incomes, employment, sizes and compositions. Single-person households, extended families, educational attainment, income levels and other unique personal situations can significantly affect a household’s needs for housing, transportation, and other aspects.
The population of Aurora has grown steadily with more recent periods of rapid growth.
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The Hispanic, African American and Asian ethnic populations have been growing at a relatively rapid rate.
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Being home to a diverse and inclusive community has broadened the city's cultural understanding, educational offerings and community life. As the city continues to welcome newcomers and adapt to meet the changing needs of long-time residents, it is challenged with ensuring that they can all enjoy everything that Aurora offers. That includes access to quality jobs and a local economy that rewards entrepreneurship and supports small-business success, safe neighborhoods, access to quality schools and ample opportunity to be active in civic life. The increasingly diverse population offers the opportunity for our city to develop a unique identity and culture within the metropolitan area, grow its economy and meet the changing needs of its residents.
Over 160 languages spoken in the Aurora public school system
Source: Who Is Aurora Report
Large number of Aurora's residents were born in many different countries.
| UK, ex England and Scotland | 204 |
| Other Northern Africa | 211 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 213 |
| Taiwan | 217 |
| Pakistan | 219 |
| Romania | 219 |
| Haiti | 222 |
| Indonesia | 224 |
| Other Eastern Asia | 227 |
| Uzbekistan | 231 |
| Oceania, n.e.c. | 254 |
| Cambodia | 259 |
| Iraq | 266 |
| Poland | 290 |
| Kenya | 304 |
| Colombia | 314 |
| England | 332 |
| Morocco | 336 |
| Armenia | 361 |
| Afghanistan | 372 |
| Other Western Africa | 402 |
| Jamaica | 445 |
| Japan | 475 |
| Sudan | 477 |
| Other Eastern Africa | 486 |
| Other South Central Asia | 576 |
| Thailand | 577 |
| Canada | 595 |
| Nepal | 596 |
| Other Middle Africa | 605 |
| Eritrea | 702 |
| Russia | 708 |
| Germany | 755 |
| Nigeria | 766 |
| Burma | 830 |
| Peru | 885 |
| Ukraine | 922 |
| India | 976 |
| Honduras | 981 |
| China, ex Hong Kong, Taiwan | 1,076 |
| Ghana | 1,084 |
| Guatemala | 1,433 |
| Philippines | 1,480 |
| Vietnam | 2,151 |
| Korea | 2,293 |
| El Salvador | 2,454 |
| Ethiopia | 2,984 |
| Mexico | 30,272 |
Source: Who Is Aurora Report
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1 point = 10 individuals
Source: Who Is Aurora Report
NOTE: For illustration purposes only. Points do not represent exact locations of individuals.
Moderately priced, single-family homes and smaller-scale apartment buildings have dominated housing construction in Aurora. Aurora now needs a much broader range of housing options. While our city contains a variety of housing products at various prices (both for-sale and rental), there is a supply-and-demand gap at many price levels. This discrepancy between supply and demand is strongest for both the lowest-and highest-income households.
Although Aurora’s single-family housing values are increasing at a rate similar to that of the metropolitan area, Aurora remains one of the most affordable communities in the region. According to Zillow, Aurora has one of the lowest median sale prices in the region, even though the median price is higher than the country’s median. However, for-sale housing is less affordable than in the past. Additionally, there is minimal higher-end, luxury housing in Aurora.
Aurora’s median rent is similar to the metropolitan area’s, yet, the city has fewer rentals below $1,000 and more above $1,000 than the region. Comparatively, in 2000 almost 60 percent of rentals in Aurora were priced lower than $750 per month. Many renters in our city are being pushed out, becoming cost burdened, or are being forced to house together to afford to stay in their homes.
The majority of renters in Aurora are burdened by high housing costs.
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45% of Renters Spend under 30% of their income on housing
27% of Renters Spend 50%+ of their income on housing
NOTE: Cost burdened is defined as spending more than 30% of annual income on housing costs
10% of Renters Spend 40-49.9% of their income on housing
7% of Renters Spend 35-39.9% of their income on housing
11% of Renters Spend 30-34.9% of their income on housing
Source: American Community Survey (ACS)
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Housing is available to meet the needs of moderate income households but is not adequately available for lower and higher income households.
Housing for low-income households in demand in Aurora. Currently, Aurora has an insufficient number of rental properties that low-income households can afford without experiencing a cost burden or spending more than 30 percent of annual income on housing. This forces potential disposable income to instead be spent on housing.
At the other end of the housing market, our city lacks sufficient higher-value units to meet the needs of higher-income households looking to live in Aurora. As the number of higher-income professional jobs increases, upper-end housing will be needed to accommodate these households within the city.
Expanding both affordable and higher-value housing will prevent the need for workers to look for a home in a neighboring community.
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*This chart measures the discrepancy between available supply of renter-occupied housing units and the households that earn incomes that can afford them comfortably, as measured by spending less than 30 percent of total annual income.
Source: American Community Survey (ACS)
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Careful stewardship of water, energy and natural resources not only represents a commitment to protecting the natural environment, but is also essential to our city’s ability to meet the growing needs of its residents and businesses as the city develops.
Aurora’s natural environment contributes to the city’s high quality of life by providing recreational opportunities, transportation and neighborhood connections, a unique identity, ecosystem preservation, and highly cost effective solutions for stormwater runoff and water conservation. As Aurora continues to grow, it will need to expand its outdoor and recreational opportunities and to conserve its valuable natural resources in order to balance future community needs.
With an incorporated land area of 164 square miles, Aurora is located in the rolling hills and high plains grasslands of Colorado, just to the east of the Rocky Mountain foothills.
Water-wise landscaping (also known as xeriscaping) is sustainable and drought tolerant due to the low-water plants and specific techniques used to maximize water efficiency. When compared to grass, which requires about 28 inches of supplemental water annually, water-wise landscaping can thrive on 15 inches or less and weathers longer periods without water. Additionally, this type of landscape often requires less maintenance. The city operates a number of programs to promote the use of these techniques, including design assistance, plant suggestions, rebates, educational resources and a recognition program.
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Aurora is more than a mile high at its lowest point of 5,285 feet above sea level. But then the city's elevation increases to more than 6,200 feet above sea level at its highest point in the southeast. Surface water in Aurora flows into several streams that eventually adjoin the South Platte River. Aurora enjoys a mild, semi-arid climate with an average annual precipitation of only 15 inches and an average of 300 sunny days per year. Its sweeping views of the Front Range mountains and its mild climate make it a pleasant place to live. The well-developed park and trail systems, coupled with large open space areas like the Plains Conservation Center and Aurora Reservoir, provide significant outdoor places for the community.
Water supply is critical to Aurora's future. Currently, our city's water supply comes from the Colorado River Basin, Arkansas River Basin, and Upper South Platte Basin. According to the 2016 Integrated Water Master Plan, the city's water demand is projected to more than double by 2070. In accordance, the city plans to obtain additional water supply and expand storage capacity.
The city's strong conservation program is crucial in addressing its water-supply challenges such as limiting outdoor watering to three days a week, water-wise landscaping rebates, and other programs. Conservation, water efficiency and demand management practices are incorporated into Aurora's land use planning and development standards. These programs have saved 528 million gallons of water between 2014 and 2016.
Aurora has undertaken several energy conservation efforts. The city has worked with partners to create the country's largest solar-technology test facility. The 74-acre Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) is located at the Aurora Campus for Renewable Energy (ACRE).
XCEL Energy operates six acres of community solar gardens that allow Aurora customers to buy renewable energy credits for their homes and businesses. The city also has photovoltaic systems at three of its public facilities. Aurora has sponsored several educational and outreach programs for schools and businesses to help them improve their energy efficiency. These initiatives provide an opportunity to integrate energy efficiency and economic development.
Careful stewardship of water, energy and natural resources represents a commitment to protecting the natural environment. The integration of water and land use planning will enable our city to conserve its resources and make strategic, cost-effective infrastructure with the highest level of reliability. As Aurora continues to evolve into a major city, stewardship of these natural assets becomes increasingly important to maintain Aurora's quality of life and provide both functional and environmental benefits.
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The city's long-term fiscal health is strongly tied to how the city chooses to grow. All types of development and redevelopment have associated positive or negative fiscal impacts. It is critical to understand these implications when weighing growth decisions. Revenue is driven largely by consumer demographics and the type and intensity of development constructed in the city. The spending power of Aurora households or outside visitors who shop in the city drives sales tax revenues while the type of development drives both property tax revenue and required city services. Many of the city's largest budget appropriations are directly related to the growth and development of the city, such as transportation improvements, water and wastewater utilities, police and fire services, and parks and recreation.
Aurora is deeply dependent on local sales tax to support its budget. In the 2018 Adopted Budget, sales tax revenue is the largest operating source of revenue, contributing 55 percent of General Fund sources. This source of revenue is largely driven by population demographics the availability of disposable income of Aurora households. Consumer spending by daytime Aurora-based employees and spending by visitors to the city are other sales tax contributors. Aurora residents shopping outside the city, or "retail leakage"; growing popularity of online shopping; and a shifting proportion of spending on taxable goods toward non-taxable services can have a negative effect.
Sales provides the majority of revenues in the city of Aurora.
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Source: City of Aurora 2018 Adopted Budget
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Overall consumer spending is often cyclical, in large part based on regional or national economic trends; however, the city can take actions to capture its fair share–or more–of sales tax revenue in both strong and challenging economic times. One strategy is to create unique places that draw shoppers to Aurora and keep resident spending in the city is one strategy. These Aurora places can offer desirable experiences and retail and restaurant options that respond to changing consumer preferences.
The second largest revenue source is local property taxes, which comprises 11 percent of the General Fund revenue. The property tax revenue from new development will vary based on the type, quality and density of housing, and value of non-residential development. In large part, these factors are established when a new development is planned and built.
Furthermore, the city will continue to work within state legislative constraints, such as the TABOR (Tax Payer’s Bill of Rights) and Gallagher Amendments, as they affect the growth and balance of commercial and residential property-tax revenues.
The 2006 Study of Revenues report found that the city will face budget challenges under various scenarios of growth and expenditure. This is described as the “structural gap” between ongoing service needs and the city’s revenue capacity. Periods of strong revenue growth delay or reduce the size of the gap, while recessions cause the gap to grow.
In response to the study, the city has taken steps toward reducing the structural gap, such as judiciously funding service level needs with ongoing revenue, using one-time funds for one-time needs, and indexing service fees annually. The long-term General Fund financial outlook scenarios confirm a gap remains a risk. Closing the gap will likely require measures that address both expenditures and revenue.
Aurora Places aims to address the role of development and economic development in the city’s overall health. The fundamental goal of the plan is to create a strong and stable city that meets the needs and desires of residents and continues to be attractive to investors and employers. Placemaking plays a unifying role in creating great destinations to live, work, invest, shop and play. This is an essential part of the community’s future economic and fiscal success.
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The Aurora Places team engaged in in-depth conversations with the community to create a plan based on the aspirations of the people who live and work in Aurora. Aurora's diverse population made it even more essential to listen to the community's broad range of perspectives, including:
Aurora is a welcoming and safe community and a city of opportunities where people of all backgrounds can prosper.
Aurora is known for its unique places, strong economy, community involvement, quality and attainable housing, integrated and healthy neighborhoods, smart ways to get around and a thriving natural and cultural environment.
The community and planning team collaborated in person and online, at events, in small groups, and community-wide workshops. In 2016 and 2017, the planning team interviewed individuals, held focus groups and community workshops, conducted online surveys, hosted the sMap interactive mapping tool, and distributed do-it-yourself (DIY) workshop kits to local outreach teams. To ensure that the city's non-English-speaking community had an opportunity to participate, the Aurora Places team conducted outreach in six languages.
In January 2017, local experts, representing a variety of community topics, participated in focus group discussions. In spring 2017, the Aurora Places team hosted community workshops focused on creating a vision for Aurora’s future. The issues, opportunities and desired actions expressed in this chapter reflect the opinions and feedback from community residents and stakeholders. The discussions and comments from these groups were used to inform the planning process and develop insights into the key issues facing the Aurora community.
The online surveys generated almost 800 responses.
The community mapped more than 500 assets, issues and concerns using sMap; a web-based application developed by Houseal Lavigne Associates.
Outreach was conducted in English, Spanish, Korean, Amheric, Somali and Burmese.
Do-it-Yourself (DIY) workshop kits distributed to local outreach teams (LOT) resulted input from 1,000+ residents.
As part of the planning process, sMap, a web-based outreach and engagement platform, was used by residents across Aurora to gather input on issues, concerns, opportunities and aspirations. In a later round of community outreach, sMap was used to prioritize the most important components related to community health, diversity, mobility, sense of place, local economy, housing and sustainability. Input provided helped to shape the vision, core principles and goals included in Aurora Places.
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Community members identified many issues and actions to make Aurora better. They described what they considered to be Aurora's most important assets and voiced concerns that will help determine how to best plan for our city's continued development. Through the community conversation, the Aurora Places team assisted the community in identifying and defining seven topic areas as priorities for Aurorans. These seven community principles served as the foundation for the development of the Aurora Places.
The participants in the community conversation stressed the importance of economic growth for Aurora. The city has several community assets that provide a foundation for growing the local economy, including a major research center at the Anschutz Medical Campus, the Buckley Air Force Base and a new light rail line. According to participants, job creation and access to workforce training resources are very important. There is a strong desire to improve support for small and local businesses. There is also a need for unique urban places for employment, together with housing, daycare and locally grown businesses. Multiple modes of transportation should connect these urban places. Partnerships with institutions and the private sector will be critical for the economy, especially in relation to training and education.
The population of Aurora is diverse in every way. Aurorans wanted to celebrate this diversity and make sure that services are provided to the people of Aurora, regardless of background, age, income or ability. Diverse populations should enjoy all of the opportunities and amenities that Aurora offers. Improved intercultural communication is needed, along with enhanced services for immigrants, people with disabilities, seniors and low-income families. Displacement of people from their homes and neighborhoods as development occurs around them is a critical issue to address. Participants also called for the city to continue to engage diverse communities and provide information and services in multiple languages.
Participants described the need for more high-quality housing in a range of types and prices, including affordable housing. The lack of affordable housing options for low-income families, particularly for renters, must be addressed. Participants emphasized the need to end homelessness. There is a need for more housing choices and options, and existing affordable housing should be preserved and direct assistance should be provided to low-income families. Development regulations and processes should be improved to make housing development more efficient and less costly. Affordable housing should be located at accessible places such as at transit stations and close to job centers.
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Participants identified the need for additional recreational opportunities and better access to healthy food. Participants also expressed desire for improved public safety and mental health resources. They also expressed interest in smoking cessation programs. There was strong support for community gardens, urban agriculture, and fresh and healthy food options available in every neighborhood. Our city should support health promotion events, inventory sidewalks and crossings and invest in street improvements to allow residents to walk and bike safely in their neighborhoods and across the city.
Participants described the need for more water and energy conservation and improved recycling options and opportunities. They expressed concern for improving air quality to protect health and the environment, and preserving, enhancing and connecting open spaces, trails and waterways. They understood that planning for growth and water supply are inextricably connected and emphasized the need for water conservation education, the use of native vegetation, water-wise landscaping and green infrastructure. The city should promote construction of energy-efficient buildings, and educate the public about energy-efficient practices.
Aurora has significantly improved the mobility of Aurorans by providing new travel options for cyclists, pedestrians, drivers and public-transit users. Participants wanted to continue to increase and improve all types of travel connections. Aurorans are concerned about traffic congestion, safety, road maintenance and the need for additional bike routes. Improved walkability, public transit and transportation technology are needed. Participants expressed strong concerns for meeting the travel needs of the disabled, the elderly and families.
Participants frequently stated that Aurora's reputation does not reflect its actual high quality of life. In addition, participants wanted to make improvements to the city that will reflect well on it, particularly through the creation of new downtown areas as locations for jobs, entertainment and the arts.
Aurorans want to improve the community's image and perception. Part of that improvement will involve the creation of unique urban places where people can come together to work and enjoy entertainment, art and community events. Our city needs an improved image, reputation and appearance, along with more distinctive destinations for both residents and visitors. They were also concerned with eastward growth and its impact on city services and fiscal health.
From the Havana District to Colfax Avenue to southeast Aurora and the northeast plains, Aurora is a city of individual places joined into a unified community. Like most large cities, Aurora has places with different histories and characters, separated by significant distances. Aurora currently has fewer types of places compared to cities of similar size. For instance, Aurora lacks an established central business district or downtown. If the city wants to build on its diversity and continue balancing growth and success, it is critical that it creates these and other places throughout Aurora.
In vibrant cities, great places most often take the form of unique neighborhoods and active mixed-use districts, designed around parks, plazas and main streets, with distinctive architecture and a diverse mix of activities. Such places allow people to meet, conduct business, exchange ideas and interact with one another. During the 20th century, most American city plans placed a focus on individual land uses, such as single-family homes, apartments, shopping centers and industry, without fully recognizing the dependency each of the uses had on the others. The most successful, sustainable and vibrant cities have recognized and organized their uses to create holistic places.
Placetypes help define Aurora by creating unique places with their own characteristics.
This plan describes future development and land use in terms of “placetypes.” Placetypes characterize specific areas based on defining character, scale, form and function. Aurora’s ten placetypes establish well-defined, unique and desirable places. Creating these placetypes will involve the maintenance or improvement of existing places and the development of entirely new places. The placetypes are created and strengthened through community involvement, neighborhood planning, land-use regulation, public investment and public-private partnerships. A significant portion of investment will come from property owners, investors, and businesses working to stimulate real estate market forces.
The placetypes provide a great deal of flexibility and potential for innovation. This place-based approach promotes the full potential of vacant and undeveloped properties by allowing them to draw on different types of land uses. The creation of places not only depends on the land uses but also on their specific design, functionality and access to infrastructure. The use of placetypes provides more inclusive, accessible and economically successful places and implements the seven community priorities described in Chapter 3.
While placetypes generally share defining features, each individual place is encouraged to take on its own unique character and specific mix of uses to meet local needs and desires. For example, while the Anschutz Campus, City Center area and Southlands Town Center are all designated as Urban Districts, based on the vision as walkable mixed-use urban environments, each place can have its own character and deliver a distinct experience to residents and visitors. Diversity is a strength of Aurora and that idea extends to diversity of places.
The following section outlines the 10 placetypes for the city of Aurora including a description of what they look like, the land uses that are compatible within them and the best practices to create them. The placetypes define Aurora by creating individual places with their own unique characteristics.
A cohesive community is created when placetypes appropriately connect to each other. Areas where placetypes adjoin create a transition area that integrates the each’s character. Adjacent uses should be compatible or appropriately buffered.
There are 10 placetypes throughout the city that address common land uses, including residential, commercial, open space, and community facilities. This placetype map is intended to depict general locations of each placetype and not necessarily the land-use designation of specific parcels. Information is available in the Planning and Development Services Department concerning how placetypes might best correspond to individual districts in the Zoning Code.
Areas designated as Special Use possess a unique land use or mix of uses, function, design or character. A significant change of land use or annexation into the city of these properties may necessitate amendment of the comprehensive plan.
This map identifies placetype designations for all areas within the city of Aurora's adopted planning and annexation boundaries. See page 51 for additional information about these boundaries.
Placetype designations for areas outside of the city limits are for long-range planning purposes only. These properties are subject to rules and regulations of their appropriate jurisdiction(s). The city of Aurora does not enforce zoning, subdivision or development standards in unincorporated areas.
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The 10 placetypes consist of several typical land uses. Primary land uses are prominent and play a pivotal role in characterizing the placetype. Supporting land uses are less prevalent and strengthen the primary land uses. For example, an Established Neighborhood primarily consists of a mix of residential housing types, like single-family homes; however, the neighborhood also contains supporting uses such as schools and parks. The following pages include a list of typical land uses, their descriptions and how each land use fits into each place-type as a primary or supporting use.
Placetypes generally describe the overall character of a place. It includes a typical land uses mix, key urban design features, the mobility network, and other physical and functional elements that define each type of neighborhood or mixed-use district. Zoning is a regulatory tool used to implement the vision described by the placetypes. The Aurora Zoning Code provides detailed land use definitions, regulations, and development standards for all properties within the city.
| Placetypes | Single-Family Detached Residential | Single-Family Attached Residential | Multifamily Residential | Restaurant | Commercial Retail | Commercial Service | Entertainment and Arts District | Office | Light Industrial / Business Parks | Heavy Industrial | Buckley Air Force Base | Institutional (educational, religious, cultural) | Parks and Open Space | Urban Agriculture | Community Garden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban District | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | ||||||
| Innovation District | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | |||||
| Industry Hub | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ||||||||
| Buckley Air Force Base | ○ | ○ | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ | |||||||
| Urban Green Space | ● | ○ | |||||||||||||
| Original Aurora | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||
| Established Neighborhood | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||||
| Emerging Neighborhood | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||||
| City Corridor | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ | ||||||||
| Commercial Hub | ○ | ● | ● | ● | ● | ○ | ○ |
● Primary Land Uses are more prominent and play a pivotal role in characterizing that placetype.
○ Supporting Land Uses are less prevalent and serve to support the primary land use.
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Single-family detached residential areas consist primarily of homes on lots subdivided in an organized and planned manner. Single-family detached homes are the most prevalent residential building type in the city.
Single-family attached structures include townhomes and row-houses. Single-family attached structures contain multiple units divided by common or shared walls, with each unit having their own direct access to outside.
Multifamily residential structures contain multiple housing units and are usually stacked vertically and attached horizontally, with each unit having its entrance on a common hallway or lobby. Examples of multifamily residential developments include apartments, condominiums, student housing, and senior housing.
All these areas permit “commercial” uses and include places where people shop, eat, work and receive professional and personal services. The uses can be low-intensity and small in scale, such as those found within a neighborhood. They also can be large and intense, like those found in regional shopping areas, or part of mixed-use environments such as a downtown.
Light Industrial, Business Parks, and office space cover a wide range of uses that include storage, warehouse, research, light processing or assembly, office parks and others.
Heavy Industrial uses consist of large-scale industrial uses, including manufacturing, construction, waste and recycling services, and intense automobile repair and salvage services.
Religious Institutions include churches, synagogues, mosques, other houses of worship and their related facilities. These institutions can be a key component of quality of life and tend to stabilize and help define individual neighborhoods.
Parks and schools are located throughout the city and contribute significantly to the community’s overall quality of life. Parks can include small neighborhood parks with playgrounds, as well as larger community-wide parks with ball fields and recreation programs.
These two land uses are related, but represent varying levels of intensity and compatibility. Urban agriculture is more intense and can include agricultural activities intended for the commercial-level production of crops and produce.
These land uses are publicly accessible places utilized by community members on a daily basis either directly or indirectly. They include necessary services such as utilities, police and fire as well as desired amenities like libraries and other municipal services.
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Urban Districts will be critical to the economic and fiscal health of the city because they will be the centers of employment, culture and activity. The Urban District is the city’s most intensely developed area with mixed-use, entertainment, institutional, retail, restaurant and multifamily residential as defining uses. In the absence of a single “Downtown Aurora,” this placetype creates a unique mix of uses in a relatively dense urban fabric, that provides a pedestrian-friendly environment and a place to live, work, shop, dine, recreate and more. It is distinguished from other placetypes by density, scale and the prioritization of multimodal transportation. Multifamily housing and employment opportunities abound, making Urban Districts the center of activity for Aurora.
Predominantly mixed-use developments accompanied by a small amount of stand-alone commercial and multifamily uses characterize the Urban District. Public facilities and institutions may be strategically located within the Urban District to anchor or support these diverse and active places. Urban parks provide green space for residents and workers and serve as locations for community activities. This mix and intensity of uses is intended to provide around-the-clock activity. Transit, pedestrian and bike connections are essential to its development and success.
Primary Land Use
Supporting Land Use
Street and Open Space Network
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Develop Urban Districts with a complete grid of streets creating relatively small urban blocks. Provide easy, short pedestrian and bicycle connections to surrounding districts and neighborhoods.
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Use Urban Districts as an opportunity to define Aurora’s image and aesthetic through high-quality design and architecture supporting active places and distinctive destinations.
Prioritize mixed-use buildings with ground-floor commercial and multistory residential housing above to bolster commercial and social activity.
Use attractive, connected and well-designed urban streetscapes throughout the district. Place buildings at or near the sidewalk to maintain a traditional streetwall effect.
Utilize civic plazas, courtyards, and parks and open space as gathering places for residents, employees and visitors.
Provide easy, short pedestrian and bicycle connections to surrounding districts and neighborhoods.
Integrate “water-wise” practices including water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping, water efficient streetscapes and medians and low-impact development BMPs.
Incorporate an accessible, well-connected transit hub to connect Urban Districts to the rest of the city and region.
Develop urban districts with a complete grid of streets creating relatively small urban blocks.
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Innovation Districts foster new ideas and enterprises by bringing together people, companies and institutions.
The Innovation District is where leading-edge anchor institutions and businesses connect with start-ups and business incubators and accelerators. This placetype fosters new ideas and enterprises by bringing together different people, companies and institutions and are key to increasing employment within the city. Light industrial and business park uses are joined with educational and medical institutions to foster sought-after creativity. These primary uses interact horizontally to promote integration across the various industries that fill this placetype.
A high-quality, tech-centric space is critical to this placetype’s success, including unique meeting spaces that encourage people and organizations to come together, learn from one another and exchange ideas. High-quality office space and jobs colocated with housing are necessary to keep Aurora’s innovative and creative thinkers close to home, such as students and professors that live on campus. Urban agriculture and community gardens serve as secondary uses, particularly to various biological sectors that utilize them for research. Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle accessibility to and through the Innovation District is also critical.
● Office ● Light Industrial ● Institutional
○ Single-Family Attached Residential ○ Multifamily Residential ○ Restaurant ○ Commercial Retail ○ Commercial Service ○ Parks and Open Space ○ Urban Agriculture
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Connect the district through a highly-connected and walkable network of streets. Cluster buildings around gathering places or within a campus layout.
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Demonstrate highly innovative approaches to design and development through architecture, lighting, infrastructure, and innovative spaces.
Cluster or connect buildings around gathering places or within a campus layout to promote idea sharing and business collaboration.
Integrate affordable single-family attached and multifamily residential to support students, faculty and other employees.
Develop a fully connected network of sidewalks and bike paths to provide safe and efficient pedestrian access from nearby neighborhoods and adjacent placetypes.
Construct gateway treatments and wayfinding signs at key entrances to better direct residents, workers, and visitors to the numerous cultural and educational facilities.
Include uses such as coffee shops, restaurants, bars, plazas, libraries, conference centers and shared working spaces to facilitate bringing people together to exchange ideas.
Integrate “water-wise” practices including water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping, water efficient streetscapes and medians and low-impact development BMPs.
Identify opportunities for joint nonpotable cooling water reuse.
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Industry Hubs are primarily dedicated to a mix of commercial and industrial uses and can be a significant employment center.
The Industry Hub includes areas typically dedicated to manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, fulfillment centers, freight operations and renewable energy enterprises. This placetype plays an important role in the city's employment base and economy, but can sometimes create outdoor activity and should be appropriately buffered from residential and commercial areas. It can generate high volumes of traffic from both its employees and associated truck traffic. Adjoining roadways should accommodate traffic without negatively impacting quieter placetypes or traffic on local streets serving residential areas.
Large-scale alternative energy facilities are another use that may fit this placetype. Uses permitted only in Industry Hubs are manufacturing plants, factories, large open-air operations and heavy-equipment storage.
Primary Land Use ● Light Industrial ● Heavy Industrial ● Urban Agriculture
Supporting Land Use ○ Restaurant ○ Commercial Retail ○ Commercial Service ○ Office
Street and Open Space Network
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Locate Industrial Hubs near major highways. Configure a street grid sufficient to accommodate large industrial facilities and truck traffic.
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1 Configure a street grid and roadway design of a width and layout sufficient to accommodate the safe and efficient circulation and access of a high volume of large-truck traffic.
2 Develop sites to accommodate large storage buildings and large paved areas required to facilitate the on-site maneuvering and loading of tractor trailers.
3 Utilize sustainable best practices to mitigate negative environmental impacts.
4 Locate Industrial Hubs near major highways and commercial rail lines to provide fast and convenient freight access. Avoid mixing industrial traffic with quieter neighborhood placetypes.
5 Integrate “water-wise” practices including water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping, water efficient streetscapes and medians and low-impact development BMPs.
6 Identify opportunities for joint nonpotable cooling water reuse.
7 Use attractive and durable architecture and landscape to help maintain the value of industry hubs over time.
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The continued success and viability of Buckley Air Force Base is a critical priority to Aurora.
Buckley Air Force Base (AFB), host unit of the 460th Space Wing, includes all areas directly involved in base operations. Buckley AFB is an Air Force Space Command base that serves more than 92,000 active-duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired military personnel, contractors, and other related tenants throughout Colorado's Front Range. Buckley AFB has air operations, space-based missile warning capabilities, space surveillance, communications operations, and support functions.
Buckley AFB is the most unique placetype as it essentially functions like a municipality with residential uses and all necessary commercial uses, including restaurants, retail and services, in addition to its core military functions. Residential uses are prohibited in key adjoining areas, and a range of uses are prohibited below flight paths. Noise mitigation measures are required for new buildings in a large area around the base. The city continues to partner with Buckley AFB to maintain a compatible use buffer adjacent to the base through open space protection and development restrictions.
Primary Land Use
Supporting Land Use
Street and Open Space Network
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Open space acquisitions protect the base from urban encroachment and buffer surrounding neighborhoods.
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Various forms of green space are integrated into all placetypes as supporting elements. What defines the Urban Green Space placetype is the regional importance, connectivity and scale of these signature parks, trails and open space assets. Aurora’s Urban Green Spaces include large areas, such as the Plains Conservation Center and Aurora Reservoir, and smaller ones, such as Quincy Reservoir and the undeveloped land adjoining Aurora’s major creeks and drainage ways. They include undeveloped areas with significant ecological value as well as programmed parks accommodating passive and active recreation, both of which may also function as stormwater-management facilities.
The Urban Green Space placetype is largely defined by three land uses: parks, trails and open space. These uses may be of many types, from developed and programmed parks, to protected natural areas. Recreational facilities, services and programming of green spaces activate these public gathering places.
Primary Land Use ● Parks and Open Space
Supporting Land Use ○ Community Garden
Street and Open Space Network
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Connect parks and open spaces through a network of trails, sidewalks, bicycle routes and linear parks. Locate streets on the edge of green spaces to create public views and access.
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Original Aurora is a traditional city neighborhood that retains its character, diversity and form, even as the neighborhood continues to evolve.
Original Aurora is the city’s first neighborhood, characterized by a street grid, commercial corridors, established residential areas and an active arts district. As a placetype, it represents traditional neighborhood development, and includes East Colfax Avenue, a major commercial and transit corridor connecting the Anschutz campus to central Denver, and the emerging Westerly Creek area, anchored by the Stanley Marketplace.
The city seeks to maintain and strengthen the traditional character of Original Aurora, while accommodating targeted reinvestment through infill, redevelopment and adaptive reuse. The Colfax, Dayton, and Montview corridors offer a growing mix of restaurants, retail, entertainment and services.
The predominantly residential portions of the neighborhood offer an opportunity to provide a balanced mix of housing options and include convenient, neighborhood-scaled services for residents.
Arts venues, civic buildings and dining and entertainment options are featured in the Arts District and reinforce the area’s tradition as a gathering place for the community and visitors. Mixed-use development along key corridors can help support the neighborhood, adding a new dimension of vitality to the area, and stimulating entrepreneurial growth and jobs. A walkable network of streets and ample transit service offer mobility options throughout the placetype.
Primary Land Use
Supporting Land Use
Street and Open Space Network
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Maintain or re-establish the traditional street grid network to maximize connectivity throughout the neighborhood.
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1 Blend new residential and mixed-use developments with the mid-20th-century commercial storefronts and residential areas.
2 Preserve, improve and augment existing housing stock retaining community character while encouraging investment and upgrading homes to meet current household and homebuyer preferences.
3 Support a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene by augmenting gathering places, like the Stanley Marketplace and Arts District, and developing places that serve area residents, Anschutz campus employees, arts patrons and visitors.
4 Use street trees and landscaping to outline Original Aurora's grid system to improve the appearance, air quality and general health of the placetype.
5 Strengthen MLK Jr. Library and Fletcher Plaza as a center of community events and gathering, public services and Aurora pride. Actively program events at the library and plaza to supplement activity in the Arts District and entertainment corridor.
6 Improve walking and bicycling connections throughout the neighborhood, including widening sidewalks and upgrading street crossings.
7 Protect and highlight Aurora's unique historic resources within the neighborhood.
8 Incorporate low-impact development and water quality practices and use appropriate systems to direct rainwater onto green spaces.
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Established Neighborhoods are predominantly residential, but supported by retail, services, multifamily and office uses along perimeter streets and intersections.
The Established Neighborhood placetype is characterized by predominantly residential areas with a variety of unit types, including single-family detached and attached, and multifamily, typically constructed between 1950 and 1990. This placetype often deviates from the traditional grid pattern of streets and contains a more curvilinear pattern. Although primarily a residential area, this placetype may also support limited retail, service and office uses located at intersections or along major perimeter streets.
Established Neighborhood primary land uses include: single-family detached and attached and multifamily residential of various densities, along with schools, parks and religious institutions. Supporting uses can include appropriately-scaled and located restaurants, retail, commercial services, community gardens and other neighborhood-serving gathering places.
Primary Land Use
● Single-Family Detached Residential ● Single-Family Attached Residential ● Multifamily Residential
Supporting Land Use
○ Restaurant ○ Commercial Retail ○ Office ○ Institutional ○ Parks and Open Space ○ Community Garden
Street and Open Space Network
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These neighborhoods typically feature a complex curvilinear pattern of streets. Established Neighborhoods should feature short, safe and protected bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout the neighborhood and connecting to adjacent placetypes.
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Connect Established Neighborhoods to surrounding neighborhoods and commercial or mixed-use placetypes with short, safe, highly protected and attractive bicycle and pedestrian routes.
Use single-family detached and attached housing to establish the character of this placetype. Multifamily housing is another accepted housing type in Established Neighborhoods but is not as prominent and is often located along main streets or the edge of neighborhoods.
Locate full-service grocery stores and personal services in areas that are conveniently accessible from Established Neighborhoods to provide access to healthy foods and daily needs. Enhance pedestrian, bicycle and transit access to these important services.
In Established Neighborhoods, support inclusion in neighborhood gathering places, such as schools, parks, recreation centers and religious institutions, as many community events are centered around their activities.
Integrate “water-wise” practices including water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping, water efficient streetscapes and medians and low-impact development BMPs.
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An Emerging Neighborhood placetype is a newer largely residential neighborhood in previously undeveloped areas. They are neighborhoods that have typically been built in the past 25 years and represent an opportunity to further diversify neighborhood choices. This placetype is more than just an isolated residential subdivision, but is instead a complete neighborhood with mixed residential housing types and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. This makes it walkable and well-connected throughout the neighborhood and to adjacent placetypes, with highly accessible parks and open space integrated into the neighborhood.
This placetype is similar to Established Neighborhoods with some important differences. These neighborhoods should offer a mix of housing types at various densities within the neighborhood fabric. Restaurants, retail and commercial services are supporting uses in this placetype and should be conveniently connected and accessible to residents of the neighborhood. Supporting uses also include a variety of neighborhood institutions and gathering places. Commercial uses should be located along main or perimeter streets rather than within primary residential areas.
Primary Land Use
Supporting Land Use
Street and Open Space Network
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The street pattern should balance vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. Design new neighborhoods around a central organizing feature, such as a park or other gathering place.
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1 Place supporting retail, restaurants, commercial services and small office uses along main streets or the perimeter of the neighborhood. These supporting uses should be directly accessible from the residential areas of the neighborhood by drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders.
2 Intersperse a variety of housing types, sizes and prices throughout the neighborhood. Higher-density multifamily should be located on main streets or along the neighborhood’s edge, yet still be integrated into the neighborhood street pattern.
3 Design new neighborhoods around a central organizing feature, such as a park, natural feature, school, or other neighborhood gathering place.
4 Build ADA-compliant sidewalks, crosswalks, and lighting, that help residents safely traverse their community.
5 Design a street pattern that balances traffic flow with pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, convenience and safety. Limit cul-de-sacs and dead ends and provide multiple connections to main streets and adjacent placetypes.
6 Integrate water-wise practices including water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping, water-efficient streetscapes and medians and low-impact development BMPs.
7 Limit turf to active recreation areas.
8 Encourage incorporation of nonpotable water systems in new development where appropriate and feasible.
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The focus of the City Corridor is commercial activity along the main street, with connected mixed residential types supporting this vibrant district.
City Corridors are another placetype that will contribute to the economic and fiscal success of the city. Corridors are centered along the city's major roadways, home to a wide range of uses, including commercial, retail, institutional, service and some residential. This placetype is generally auto-oriented, but should also accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and transit service. City Corridors should include amenities such as sidewalks, crosswalks, benches, pedestrian-scale lighting and landscaping that make it easy for pedestrians to safely and comfortably navigate the area.
Green space is typically limited within this placetype, but outdoor gathering areas–like pocket parks, common greens and plazas–are appropriate to enhance the experience. Integration of these amenities varies among the City Corridors throughout Aurora making each one unique. The focus of the City Corridor placetype is commercial activity, and as such, its primary uses are restaurants, retail, office and commercial services. Multifamily residential and institutional uses are secondary uses and allow for the development of mixed-use projects. Single-family attached residential is another potential secondary use, appropriate in areas not prioritized for commercial development.
Primary Land Use
Supporting Land Use
Street and Open Space Network
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Design a street network along the primary commercial corridor to provide access for area residents and visitors to the area. Provide safe and convenient access to businesses by drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users.
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1 Wherever possible, front commercial buildings along primary streets to ensure visibility and accessibility. Avoid street frontages dominated by parking lots or buildings set back large distances from the street.
2 Use single-family attached units where the City Corridor abuts a residential placetype to promote an appropriate transition between the two placetypes.
3 Develop a road network along the City Corridor to provide quick and easy access to businesses for drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians.
4 Reposition or redevelop aging or obsolete shopping centers to more effectively compete in current and future retail markets, and deliver goods and services to the local community.
5 Design centers around a central organizing feature or gathering space, like a common green or plaza, promenade, natural feature, or other shared space. Programmed common spaces surrounded by active uses and buildings attract or retain customers and convey a sense of community.
6 Incorporate drainage swales, rain gardens, xeriscaping and water-efficient streetscapes and medians.
7 Size primary parking lots for typical and reasonable demand and provide for peak parking in overflow areas away from primary street frontages. Promote shared parking opportunities.
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Commercial Hubs are centers of activity supporting adjacent neighborhoods with shopping, services, entertainment and community life.
Commercial hubs are especially critical to the future economic and fiscal health of Aurora. This placetype primarily contains uses that provide goods and services to nearby Established and Emerging Neighborhoods but can also serve other placetypes in the area. This placetype is characterized by shopping centers and areas that provide a cluster of compatible businesses. It may be located along the city's corridors, often at the intersection of two arterial streets. Although varying in size and intensity, this placetype is more than just a small neighborhood-scaled commercial use. Improvements to these centers should better connect them to surrounding neighborhoods and provide a broader array of services and experiences.
The Commercial Hub's primary uses are retail, commercial service and restaurant. Smaller community parks, trails, plazas, common greens and shared outdoor areas provide social gathering spaces as well. The Commercial Hub is intended to serve the needs of multiple nearby neighborhoods. Transit, pedestrian and bicycle connections should safely and conveniently link the Commercial Hub to other placetypes.
● Restaurant ● Commercial Retail ● Commercial Service
○ Single-Family Attached Residential ○ Multifamily Residential ○ Office ○ Institutional
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Connect Commercial Hubs to surrounding neighborhoods with safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connections. Improve street crossings to enhance walkability.
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Include medium- or high-density housing to expand the local customer base. Use mixed-use buildings to create an active and diverse experience.
Provide a wide range of neighborhood-serving retail uses, such as a pharmacy, grocery store, home goods, personal services and restaurants, among others.
Celebrate and promote local businesses owned by diverse populations from adjacent residential neighborhoods in the Commercial Hub.
Locate Commercial Hubs at the intersection of two arterial streets to be more accessible to the neighborhoods they serve, particularly by public transit.
Incorporate drainage swales, rain gardens, xeriscaping, water-efficient streetscapes and medians and nonpotable water systems in new development.
Connect Commercial Hubs to surrounding neighborhoods with safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connections. Improve street crossings to enhance walkability.
Design centers around a central organizing feature or gathering space, like a common green, plaza, promenade, natural feature or other shared space. Programmed common spaces surrounded by active uses and buildings attract or retain customers and convey a sense of community.
Chapter 4 describes the placetypes that serve as the building blocks for Aurora, but the city is more than just a collection of individual locations. Aurora is a connected community of people and places working together to create a cohesive and connected community.
Aurora is a connected community of people and places working together to create a cohesive and connected community.
This chapter identifies the policies, infrastructure and external organizations that help shape and define the varied places that make up the city. These are key components or building blocks of how the city grows, the quality and experience of different placetypes and how different parts of the city are integrated and connected to each other.
Places are physically connected by the streets, sidewalks, open space, waterways, rail, trails and utilities that serve them. Residents and visitors rely on a safe and convenient way to move throughout the community–from home, work and school to shopping, services and entertainment. Likewise, businesses need an effective mobility network to move both people and goods. Cost-effective, efficient and reliable utilities are essential to all activity in Aurora. The community is also connected through a network of city services, including parks, public safety, recreation facilities, transit and libraries. Shared assets, highlighted by public art, distinct neighborhoods, historic places and cultural events, also work together to create a cohesive community.
The local economy links all parts of Aurora, and joins the city with the rest of the region. Private-sector investment is often based on factors beyond municipal boundaries or individual properties. Employers consider many factors in locating their operations, including the availability of skilled local workforce, convenient access to the region’s transportation network, desirable neighborhoods for their employees and vibrant mixed-use districts to locate their facilities. No single placetype can meet all of these needs, but the network of places Aurora offers can. A strong local economy is defined by the network of people and places within a community.
Aurora was founded in 1891 as the town of Fletcher on four square miles of prairie bounded by Yosemite and Peoria Streets and Sixth and 26th Avenues. The beginnings of a water system and 14 new brick homes made up its earliest neighborhood. Much of Aurora is located on prairie grasslands with few topographic or natural obstacles to development. As a result, the city has expanded substantially to the east and southeast over the last few decades.
Over the decades, Aurora has grown to encompass 163.5 square miles although significant areas are still undeveloped. The city provides adequate and sustainable public services and infrastructure to these areas of future development, most of which are on the city’s eastern edge. The city’s future revenue, cost to provide services and long-term maintenance, among other impacts, is greatly affected by how the areas are developed. Planning for this development is vital for balancing the costs of providing these essential services with the continuation of the city’s and region’s projected growth.
Aurora’s neighborhoods have diverse forms, from the traditional urban blocks in Original Aurora and the winding streets of central Aurora’s more suburban neighborhoods, to the golf courses and hilltop views of the city’s southeastern neighborhoods. As Aurora continues to develop, new neighborhoods and urban mixed-use districts will further diversify the options available to current and future Aurora residents. There is a great opportunity for each neighborhood to take on its own image and identity.
Each neighborhood has its own unique population and needs. Neighborhood-level planning can help address the service and development needs of its residents by engaging them in the development process and creating conversation to determine their vision and priorities.
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The city has traditionally built its Comprehensive Plan around a geographic area referred to as the “Planning Area.” It comprises the area within the city’s municipal boundaries along with some adjacent land outside city limits. The reason for the Planning Area being multi-jurisdictional is two-fold:
Since 2018, the city’s “Annexation Area,” a boundary within which the city will consider annexation requests during the life of the current comprehensive plan, largely coincides with the Planning Area boundary. City Council will consider whether to adopt such annexation requests based on its established procedures and policies.
BOUNDARIES $\square$ Planning Area Boundary $\square$ Annexation Area Boundary
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The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan region has a long history of cooperation and coordination regarding regional growth and development and has experienced unprecedented change in recent years. The region has been among the nation's fastest growing, with the population increasing from 2.1 million in 2000 to 2.7 million in 2016. This expansion has brought opportunities and challenges to its metro-area communities.
While rapid population growth can strain local services, transportation infrastructure and housing, it also presents opportunities for cities to offer a greater diversity of jobs, neighborhoods and experiences to both current and future residents. Rapid growth presents both challenges and opportunities for regional coordination.
Aurora is the region’s second largest city (374,154 people), home to 133,595 jobs spanning 163.5 square miles. The city recognizes that many future challenges must be addressed through regional cooperation. Aurora will play an instrumental role in achieving regional goals and participate in regional benefits, which can have significant positive impact on the quality of life within Aurora and the metro region.
Aurora is a signatory of the Mile High Compact, an intergovernmental agreement to manage and coordinate metro-area growth in accordance with the regional Metro Vision plan. This includes the most recent Metro Vision 2040 plan that the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) adopted in 2017. The city reaffirms its support of the Mile High Compact and adopted Metro Vision plan and will continue to serve in influential and leadership roles within DRCOG to provide a leading voice on important regional issues.
The Metro Vision plan describes the future extent of urban development and regional support for efficient use of available land and existing and planned infrastructure, especially on the edges of the metro area. The city will continue to develop ongoing population and employment forecasts to support capital planning and funding programs and use these forecasts to assess the city's appropriate share of regional growth under Metro Vision.
To implement this regional growth policy, DRCOG developed the Urban Growth Boundary/Area (UGB/A) program which periodically allocates growth area to all municipalities and counties in the region. Local jurisdictions designate and manage the specific location of their allocations.
Aurora’s undeveloped area is vast, including thousands of acres stretching from Denver International Airport and the Colorado Air and Space Port (formerly Front Range Airport) to Douglas County. The sequence and timing of development of this area is unpredictable, so Aurora has chosen to identify areas of future growth and designate portions of the city’s allocation of development under the UGB/A program. In Aurora, this allocation is distributed among nine subareas and is used by property owners on a first-come, first-served basis. The urban growth allocation in the UGA is only considered to have been used when land is subdivided or new construction has occurred.
DRCOG’s Metro Vision plan also describes the “urban centers” concept as a model for healthy, livable communities. These designated centers are intended to feature a multimodal travel network within a mixed-use, urban district with diverse housing, employment and service opportunities accessible without sole reliance on automobiles. Metro Vision establishes a goal of having 25 percent of new housing and 50 percent of new employment in urban centers by 2040. By focusing growth into strategic areas, the city can capitalize on valuable development opportunities and build upon existing transportation networks and infrastructure.
Urban centers are identified by local decision-makers and submitted to DRCOG for formal review and approval. There are currently 18 designated centers in Aurora. The adjacent map shows the city’s designated urban centers.
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To create great places in Aurora, it is critical that these systems be well planned and developed.
Chapter 4 identifies the different placetypes that define the development pattern of Aurora. Public systems and networks, including multimodal transportation, parks and open space and water utilities (water, wastewater and stormwater), connect these placetypes. Cultural resources, including libraries, public art and art venues, connect the community through shared culture and pride. To create great places in Aurora, it is critical that these systems be well planned and developed.
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| Economic Development System (page 56) | Transportation and Mobility System (page 66) | Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Systems (page 78) | Parks, Trails, Recreation, and Open Space System (page 82) | Arts and Cultural Resources System (page 84) |
Over the past 20 years, the city has commissioned a number of studies and plans that support city goals and objectives. When projects are proposed, these documents should be referenced alongside this plan when relevant and appropriate.
The following plans are adopted by reference in the Aurora Places Plan.
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Building a vibrant, successful local economy is a shared effort and economic development embodies this pursuit.
Economic growth is spurred by all businesses, residents and organizations that bring money into the city of Aurora. Any and all contributors to the economy share resources both intentionally and unintentionally to prosper individually and holistically as a city. As such, they all must work together to create a fully functional economic development system.
Building a vibrant, successful local economy is a shared effort and economic development embodies this pursuit. More jobs and more investment within a community means more opportunities and increased choices. Economic development practices are growing more comprehensive. It is not only about attracting corporate headquarters, but addressing the growth and expansion needs of existing businesses, engaging with firms across the globe, encouraging entrepreneurship and small business development, supporting the surrounding community as a place for employees and companies to call home, and aligning education and training to meet current and future workforce trends.
Partners with important roles to play in Aurora’s economic growth and success include:
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The Aurora Municipal Center is home to the Aurora-South Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The center is one of 14 SBDCs statewide, and serves not only Aurora, but also all of Arapahoe County, portions of Douglas County and southern parts of Jefferson and Adams counties.
The SBDC’s mission is to help existing and new businesses grow and prosper. The center offers high-quality, confidential and no-cost, one-on-one consulting with business experts, niche programs and free or low-cost business workshops. The city of Aurora serves as host to the SBDC, offering services five days a week during regular business hours. Additionally, several programs are offered either during the evening or on weekends. In addition to the main office at the Aurora Municipal Center, the Aurora-South Metro SBDC has satellite offices at Innovation Pavilion in Centennial and the Englewood Civic Center.
The SBDC systematically tracks its quality of service through a variety of methods, including citizen evaluations after each consulting session and workshop and evaluating economic impact in terms of jobs created, jobs retained and business starts. Capital formation, contracts awarded, and the involvement with cluster industries like retail, restaurant, energy and bioscience also provide measurement metrics for SBDC.
Aurora uses the resources provided by the SBDC to leverage small business development and expansion and foster vitality in the development of all placetypes.
Like many communities that developed substantially since the mid-20th century, Aurora’s aging neighborhoods and commercial centers face a growing need for revitalization. Housing, commercial buildings, infrastructure and public facilities are aging and in need of repair or replacement to return those areas to a place of vibrancy and desirability. While most of this reinvestment will come from the private sector, the city has an active role to play in planning, initiating and supporting reinvestment in key areas and projects.
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Urban Renewal is one tool that has been used to address blighted areas by initiating and supporting private reinvestment and redevelopment of aging and obsolete properties and returning them to an active, revenue-generating space. The City of Aurora established the Aurora Urban Renewal Authority to pursue and facilitate redevelopment of blighted and strategically located properties within the city. The authority serves as a governmental entity under state law separate from the city of Aurora. While being a legal entity separate from the city, the authority's board of directors is primarily comprised of the mayor and city council members. Three additional members representing the school districts, county governments and other property taxing entities will likely join the board in the near future to bring it into compliance with current state law.
The authority's mission is to plan for, recruit, promote and support development and redevelopment projects that revitalize blighted, strategic and economically challenged areas, and provide technical assistance and financial resources to make projects viable. Each area has a plan that offers a vision and framework for future development and includes mechanisms by which the Authority will achieve high priority goals, including:
The authority's primary means of meeting these goals is through the creation of urban renewal and tax increment areas that generate tax increments resulting from increased property tax, sales tax and other local taxes generated from redevelopment activity. As a result of tax increment revenue generation, significant funding can be made available to provide needed public improvements and to help make projects financially viable to the public sector by helping close financial gaps.
Urban renewal areas have been identified and prioritized, with plans to address land use, transportation, infrastructure, recreational facilities and urban design. They are intended to help guide public and private investment toward catalytic development projects. New areas may be established as needs and opportunities arise.
Aurora is home to a number of federally-designed investment zones under the Enterprise Zone, Foreign Trade Zone, and Opportunity Zones programs. While these are federal programs, the benefits are intended to support local communities, like Aurora. The purpose of these zones is to encourage private investment and job creation.
While the specific function and benefits from these zones are unique to each program, generally these zones aim to attract private investment into targeted areas by offering some type of tax incentive. The zones offer tax credits, deferrals or other benefits to private investors who commit to funding employment growth, real estate projects or infrastructure improvements.
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The majority of Aurora’s eligible workers leave the city every day to work in another community. Community outreach and research determined that Aurora companies, as well as those outside the city, note that the local skilled workforce does not fully match their evolving business needs. A skilled and educated workforce is critical to economic growth, necessary to attract large-scale, well-paying employers and imperative to diversifying our economy. Significant efforts must be made to expand the city's workforce and retain at least a portion of its existing workers by leveraging its existing businesses, strong industries and other assets.
The city and its partners work to attract and expand key industries in order to broaden and deepen the diverse local economy. These businesses may be growth industries with a strong long-term outlook, complementary or support industries to existing job sectors, or emerging industries in which Aurora offers a competitive advantage. However, Aurora’s employment is diverse, and opportunities in other sectors will be pursued as well. Targeted industries include:
A robust local retail economy is especially important in a community like Aurora, which receives over half of its revenue from sales and use taxes. Changing consumer preferences, competition from adjacent communities, and continued growth in online shopping will continue to reshape the local retail environment. Identifying growth sectors, marketing the city to the retail community, keeping up with industry trends and encouraging reinvestment in aging retail destinations are part of the city’s retail strategy and need to be supported.
The retail sector is constantly evolving. The continued growth of online commerce is reshaping how people shop, with direct impacts on brick-and-mortar stores and the city’s tax revenue. Retailers are rethinking the role of their physical stores and in many cases decreasing their footprints and seamlessly connecting their stores with their online services.
As an approach, placemaking adds value to the retail environment. Increasingly, consumers are seeking diverse experiences as part of their shopping preferences, not simply a one-store-and-done trip. Aurora can offer places with unique identity and at various scales—from a bustling “downtown” experience to a neighborhood center that serves as a true gathering place for area residents. Mixing shopping with housing, entertainment, dining, recreation, services, events and employment in a comfortable, safe and conveniently accessible place is a strategy that will draw and keep customers in Aurora.
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This talent can either be acquired by attracting educated and trained residents to relocate to Aurora, or it can be “homegrown” by equipping local residents with the skills and certifications needed to compete for stable and well-paying jobs. Aurora’s strategy is to pursue both opportunities.
A strong local workforce provides two-fold benefits to the community. A stable and well-paying job is foundational to a family’s ability to provide for itself. Many positions in the competitive and changing economy over the next two decades will require both a solid educational foundation and job-specific skills, training or certifications. If residents are able to access appropriate education and training locally, they will be well-equipped to meet the needs of the local job market, and in turn, meet the needs of their own family to rent or purchase a home, purchase everyday goods and services, and provide a stable and comfortable lifestyle.
Secondly, employers need qualified and skilled employees to fill jobs. The strength and stability of the local economy is in large part built upon a company's ability to acquire and retain talented employees to succeed and grow in their industry. Additionally, firms seeking to relocate or expand their operations will weigh their location decisions based in large part on the availability and readiness of the workforce pool available to them in a community.
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A strong education system, from K-12 through higher education and career training, is essential to creating a steady and continuous pipeline of talent to local employers and providing opportunities for Aurora residents to earn and maintain stable and well-paying jobs.
Aurora is served with a continuum of education and training providers. The majority of Aurora is served by Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek School District, while small portions of the city fall within the Brighton, Bennett and Douglas County school districts. The Aurora and Cherry Creek districts operate K-12 schools, as well as preschool, charter, magnet, vocational, gifted and talented schools and other support programs. The districts emphasize career and college readiness through concurrent credit courses with the Community College of Aurora and other local colleges, career and technical education opportunities and college preparation resources.
Aurora is also well-served by a variety of higher education institutions. The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Pima Medical Institute and Concorde Career College offer a spectrum of medical education and health care training programs. The Community College of Aurora offers a diversity of degree programs at two campuses and online. Pickens Technical College provides classes in variety of fields, including engineering and technology, health, transportation, business technologies and human services. Both CCA and Pickens have associations with Aurora’s school districts to provide concurrent education and joint programs.
Aurora is also home to Platt College, Colorado Technical University South Denver Campus and the Ecotech Institute, the first college entirely focused on preparing graduates for careers in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and other educational institutions.
Aurora is served by the Arapahoe/Douglas Works! workforce center and the Adams County Workforce and Business Center. Both offer a variety of free services to individual job seekers, including those looking for training or retraining, new employment and employment counseling. Youth programs offer assistance with obtaining a high school diploma or GED, training and support services through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The centers also provide services for employers seeking skilled and trained employees through hiring events, job listings, and connecting employees with training and certification programs.
The city cooperates on programs with all these agencies and supports cooperative efforts that improve the economic well-being of Aurora and its residents.
While the city provides services and encourages investment and job creation across the community, Aurora Places identifies locations within Aurora that have been identified as particularly suitable for significant investment or needing ongoing focus and intervention. Each has its own unique conditions, opportunities and challenges to be addressed through a set of strategies specific to the area. Strategic areas include:
These strategic areas often have additional plans, including station area, neighborhood, transportation or urban renewal plans that outline strategies specific to that area.
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Conceptual Rendering of the Space Port Courtesy HDR in association with Luis Vidal + Architects
Aurora’s close proximity to the Denver International Airport (DEN), one of the busiest and fastest growing airports in the country, and several main transportation corridors in Colorado, positions it to take advantage of a key opportunity in the region. Furthermore, the future Colorado Air and Space Port (formerly Front Range Airport) offers even more opportunities for transportation, research and development. An aerotropolis, which includes thousands of acres of land on and around DEN in multiple jurisdictions, including Aurora, will demonstrate how collaborative, responsible development enhances Aurora’s ability to compete for world-class companies who will create jobs, invest in the community and strengthen the economy.
An aerotropolis is a dynamic, urban place in which the layout, infrastructure, and economy center around the airports. An aerotropolis is more than any single development, it is largely characterized by a collection of transportation-linked businesses and supporting industrial and commercial development. However, appropriately-located residential, retail and restaurants will also be included.
Airport-centered development seeks to take advantage of the connectivity and synergy created by the people and industries in the area. Within its boundaries, it will deliver the opportunity for innovation to flourish, drive a forward-looking strategy for important planning, like infrastructure and transportation, and bring together the public and private sectors to grow existing and new industries.
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Photographs provided courtesy of Denver International Airport.
The Aurora Line, RTD’s R Line, opened service in early 2017, connecting nine stations from Nine Mile Station in the southwest to Peoria Station in the northwest. Two stations on the University of Colorado A Line are located in Aurora, connecting to Downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. These station areas represent a unique and valuable opportunity for significant investment surrounding transit.
Beginning in 2006, the city initiated planning for the light rail stations in anticipation of transit service and interest from the private sector. These plans are intended to promote TOD by identifying opportunities for compact, mixed-use development that is transit-supportive and to develop public-private strategies to implement a shared vision.
While the plans offer a vision and land use framework that is powerful yet flexible, these plans may be updated as conditions change or opportunities materialize. Adopted station area plans include:
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This mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development type is a compact, walkable and bikeable area positioned around a transit station. They focus on providing visibility and accessibility to transit users and connecting them to developments near the transit center. Although varying in size and intensity, this overlay contains higher residential densities; niche retail, dining, and entertainment opportunities; office spaces and service uses; and gathering spaces. Although the mix, intensity, and makeup of uses in this overlay may vary, the intent is to create a condensed mixed-use area that provides a place for urban living, employment and necessary and convenient access to transit, all in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) best practices include:
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