From Erie Mayor Andrew Moore:
Because of the extremely competitive nature of attracting retail development, I typically refrain from sharing much information about Erie's ongoing economic development negotiations. I am, however, encouraged by the positive news of late and I feel it is important to highlight some of the incremental progress.
First, we have a major grocer interested in commercial property at Vista Ridge at Bonanza and Highway 7. This development would help meet our adopted town economic goals while providing needed services to Erie and Broomfield residents. It will also provide additional long term revenue to Erie. Also, the first retail buildings are going through the planning and approval process for service and convenience retailers at Mountain View and Highway 7.
This development, at the request of a major drug store, has recently been enhanced to include the capability to accommodate such an establishment.This news was followed by a press release last week issued by Regency Centers (www.regencycenters.com) who have officially closed on the property immediately to the west of the Erie's future community center and library. Regency Centers is a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers.
In the press release Snowden Leftwich, Regency Centers Senior Vice President of Investments, said the company will develop the property as a grocer anchored shopping center. The plans anticipate a broad mix of retailers to offer service and convenience to residents and visitors around Erie's community center and library.
These developments have been in the works for some time, and there is significant work to be done before stores open. However, it is important to recognize the forward steps now coming to fruition. This news is further evidence that supports the Board of Trustee conclusion, from our retreat earlier this year, that achieving Erie’s adopted standards for high quality growth remains a successful economic development strategy for our community.
As we distinguish ourselves as a quality community, and remain a predictable place to do business for investors, our long term retail opportunities will continue to flourish.The data speaks loudly that Erie can have patience and continue to thrive on our journey to grow smart and not sacrifice quality for short term economic gains. We are in a good financial position with solid revenue streams, substantial reserves, robust long term economic development prospects and a game plan.
Best Regards,
Mayor Andrew Moore
Town of Erie
Read additional updates from Mayor Moore at www.mooreinfo.us.
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22 comments:
What happened to all your concern about traffic on Hwy 7? Hypocrite, thy name is Moore!
I have to smile when I get responses like this. It is clear the issue of traffic on Hwy 7 is not understood by all.
The discussions, which are ongoing, to reroute Hwy 7 onto Arapahoe are to reduce traffic by the schools - Pioneer Elementary, Peak to Peak, Lafayette Elementary.
The commercial I refer to is at least a mile to the east of any discussed reroute point. This area of Highway 7 will not be impacted by any reroute in the future.
Mayor Andrew Moore
Erie's position on Hwy 7 has always been clearly stated. When the majority of Lafayette's council endorsed Lowes, Erie questioned our sincerity in limiting traffic between Hwy 287 and the new Lowes site, the major bottlenect on Hwy 7.
The simple fact is Erie is working hard to reduce its own 'leakage", and acquire tax revenue from Lafayette and Broomfield. They want folks to drive east. The entrances to Vista Ridge and AnthemColorado are 3 miles east of Lafayette.
Competition.
That sounds like typical BS from the east. We don't understand the issues of hgwy 7? It runs straight through Lafayette and carries traffic mainly from the East. Yes a big part of it is to move traffic away from the schools, but it's your traffic!! The big problem is that Baseline can't be expanded as easily as Arapahoe. Why do you care about the re-route and it's affect on a proposed store in Lafayette? Oh that's right... you wanted the store in your town!
No, cyclo. I opposed the Lowes. You must not live in Lafayette.
The Hwy 7 bypass was planned to go north from Hwy 7 thru Erie up to Arapahoe. Today, most of the Hwy 7 traffic is non-resident traffic between I-25 and 287. Until the new W*M opens.
Erie has said they won't cooperate on the bypass now. The next step is for the required studies to be paid for by the affected towns. So we'll see if Erie refuses or not.
I know Kerry. My comment was to Mayor Moore's post, not yours. Sorry for the confusion. I am agreeing with you, I do live in Lafayette and opposed Lowes also. The fact that Mayor Moore boils this down to a Lafayette only problem, is hysterical.
It would be interesting to get someone who knows about the Hwy. 7 study (and has some credibility) to explain the steps involved.
Being a CDOT project and regional in scope, I imagine the final alignment is part of the study, with a slate of alternatives yet to be analyzed. It's fairly well known that County Line and even a realignment farther east have been floated for discussion.
If the Lafayette comp plan, with the hypothetical alignment up 119th is assumed to make that solution predestined, I believe this will be news to everyone in Lafayette.
The City Manager has it. Things have changed since it was done.
"It"?
The city traffic study that includes Hwy 7. It is a few years old so it would not include Super W*M, the new Police Station, increased Sister Carmen business, the new Lowes, and the proposed new Shady Acres development. No update on Vista Ridge and Anthem CO.
Thanks for asking, Alex. We just discussed this at the meeting Tuesday night and our Public Works director was kind enough to post the status of the project online for interested parties:
http://cityoflafayette.com/News.asp?NewsID=1535
Essentially, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the relevant local governments are going to conduct a comprehensive Corridor Optimization Study (COS) for State Highway 7. It will take up to two years and cost around $700K -- CDOT will pay half and the other parties will share the other half.
There are more details on the City's website and I am sure it will be updated as things change.
The alignment of 119th is moving ahead quite quickly. Dealing with Hwy 7 is not per the Public Works Director. It's what's behind the words that counts. So let's do a reality check:
By the time the CDOT study is done in 2010, super W*M, the new PD station, Lowes plus 3 other commercial businesses, Erie Safeway, Erie Walgreens, more Vista Ridge, new Shady Acres development, more Anthem CO, etc. will already be in place. Then Lafayette will have to wait in line and come up with a lot of bucks (first time I heard that). If and when that happens, Erie will have to agree, the land bought, and the by-pass built. An outside guess is 10 years.
So by then the question is how many folks east of Lafayette go east to shop and buy to avoid our Baseline traffic bottleneck in front of Pioneer and the Library. It is 3 miles east with no traffic versus 3 miles west through the bottleneck. And there is no answer to the bottleneck.
After all, the stop light at Crossing Rd and Baseline only took four years.
Why would Erie agree to the by-pass?
The alignment of 119th is "moving ahead quite quickly," but the CDOT study won't be done until 2010 and then the City will have to wait in line to come up with some bucks? And Erie will have to agree before CDOT can move ahead with land acquisition?
When did CDOT decide to discard alternatives analysis in regional traffic studies? When did CDOT decide to give up the right of eminent domain, or allow a municipality to dictate whether they can negotiate with private landowners?
Why our elected leaders want to spin this serious issue beyond recognition for their own political purposes is beyond me.
For those who would prefer to get the facts (thanks for the link, Chris), the City's news bulletin invites calls to Doug Short, the Public Works Director. Might be time to pick up that phone, Kerry.
Alex,
From Doug Short in an e-mail to a resident copied to the City Council on 5/16/2007:
"On a different but related subject, CDOT will be constructing intersection improvements at County Line Road/Flagg Drive/SH7 to realign this intersection from an offset to a cross intersection, install turn bays and a traffic signal. This work is budgeted in their 2007/2008 Budget which begins July 1st."
So this is what I was talking about. 119th needs no alignment.
So now it is "playing politics". Yes, to some folks reality hurts. But this city is looking to borrow money against future sales tax revenues for the next 10 years. If the revenue forecast is wrong, city services will suffer. I'm talking rec center, library, and public safety. And the city admin testified to that.
To contribute to the 2008 study, cities will have to put it in their budget for next year.
And you know how popular "emminent domain is" these days. If CDOT uses it and the message to Erie folks is to help out Lafayette, I'm sure that will be extremely popular with them. They started boycotting Lafayette when the non-resident library fees were imposed.
And they are getting their own Rec Center and Library.
For someone who talks regional, you sure spend more time writing non-factual e-mails than checking things out.
Unbelieveable. The reconfigured geometry of County Line at Hwy. 7 has what to do with the bypass project?
If you think anything, anything at all, that you just wrote refutes what I wrote earlier, Kerry, think again.
Furthermore, if you want to put quote marks around it, what I said was "spin." I'd expect that's about all that someone who doesn't understand CDOT would be able to come up with.
You are also clearly out of touch with the reporting your own City Public Works Department is doing regarding the realignment process, which does no such thing as presume the 119th alternative. Even Mayor Moore's initial remarks at the head of this topic are not so clearly erroneous.
Alex, just curious. It appears the Planning Commission is not receiving reports as to what is going on with Hwy 7, neighboring communities, and CDOT. Those reports are being sent out by Public Works. If the PC isn't being kept up to date, you may want to suggest that this be addressed.
As for spinning, on this blog site? The folks who live on E. Baseline know the current reality.
So the oxymoron here is that if the by-pass gets done in my life time, all those Erie folks will go to and from Hyw 7 to Arapahoe, why would they need to go out of their way to do business in Lafayette. Fast forward 10 years?
As for the by-pass coming to reality, you be the judge. Call Doug Short and get his view.
A. True or false: The alignment of the Hwy. 7 bypass will be determined AFTER the issue is studied by CDOT.
B. True or false: The only people who care about public safety, school kids, and the municipal budget are Andrew Moore and Kerry Bensman.
Just in case anyone really does need a reality check, the answers are (A) true, (B) false.
Any topic where Kerry fails to appreciate the key points tends to get dragged down into this bizarre miasma of accusations and grandstanding. Luckily the problems with Highway 7 are CDOT jurisdiction, which will hopefully neutralize the petty local politics when it comes to adopting an appropriate solution.
So now it's "petty politics".
Question: If and when will the Hyw 7 by-pass be built?
Question: Does a study build roads?
Question: Why don't you, Alex, answer my question? You are a Planning Commissioer and yet YOU have to ask on a public blog what is going on with Hwy 7. Are you going to contact the Planning Director and ask that the PC get info from Public Works on this topic?
Question: Which councilor member in the past 3+ years has done the most to improve public safety, deal with the muncipal budget, and help Lafayette's kids?
Answer: Me.
Cooment: Caring isn't enough. Actions speak louder than words.
Yes, it's petty politics. And I'm sick of it.
CDOT will be the leader on getting Highway 7 rerouted and will be the party to build the road. CDOT has no preference for 119th.
One statement started this current sparring match off, and that was when you said, Kerry, that "the alignment of 119th is moving ahead quite quickly." Please enlighten me what that meant, in light of my understanding of the process to reroute Highway 7.
For the record, the Planning Commission last comprehensively reviewed and recommended the comp plan, which has a small long-term roadway plan component, in 2003. The Planning Commission also reviews individual projects with respect to their impacts and contributions to the transportation system. The Planning Commission does not receive updates of the nature you speak of concerning Highway 7; just like everyone else in town, we rely on our friendly liaisons on the council to keep that flow of information going.
It is unfortunate that what could have been a forum for interesting dialogue amongst East County residents and officials has become a "Bensman in 2007" blog.
Happy campaigning to you Kerry, but I have better ways to spend my time.
Readers, please know that you can, and should, go to the other council members for a reality check on what you are hearing here. Our email addresses are in the format of firstname.lastname@cityoflafayette.com. Mine is chris.cameron@cityoflafayette.com
Thanks for the opportunity, Dan.
Sorry folks. If I decide to run in 2007, it won't be announced here. And this is not the place to campaign either. So far I'm getting a lot of threats from voters saying what they will do to me if I don't. We will see what August will bring.
If the readers of this blog want me to go away, just say so.
If you really want to know what's going on, let me know as well. You certainly won't get it from some of the counci members who read this blog.
Your call?
Today I queried our Public Works director regarding the Hwy 7 by-pass. This was in response to the status report posted on the city website regarding the impending CDOT study.
His response was that construction of the actual by-pass was included in DRCOG 2035 Vision Plan, which means it is unfunded. Lafayette would have to "leverage future revenues with CDOT/DRCOG to get it built" (between $6M and $24M).
So that is the reality check today. I was wrong in saying 10 years. Unless we figure out a way to come with a lot of bucks, it's out past 28 years.
The department heads usually are on top of this info, not council members, as they actually go to the meetings.
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