What may be Arvada’s last, best chance for the future took a step closer to becoming a reality this week.
Arvada City Council members Monday unanimously approved rezoning and initial plans for the proposed Vauxmont and Cimarron Park developments on a total of 1,500 acres of undeveloped land.
The two proposed developments would each include a business park, light industrial, commercial space and new homes.
Overall, the two represent the largest continuous tract of land in the city for industrial development and possibly future job growth, officials have said.
“This is a very exciting opportunity to have a project in Arvada that’s world class,” said Bruce Nickerson, vice president and general manager of PSM Properties Inc, which owns Vauxmont.
Nickerson talked about the success of other business park developments in the area and their success, including the Interlocken business park in nearby Broomfield.
The project could take up to 50 years to complete, said Charlie McKay of Cimarron Park LLC, which owns Cimarron.
Vauxmont would cover 1,069 acres at the northeast corner of the intersection of state Highways 72 and 93 and could include retail, office uses, office industrial, open space, parks and up to 518 residences.
Cimarron Park is 426 acres at West 96th and Indiana streets and could include a town center, retail, office uses, open space and a maximum of 1,700 residences.
Several members of the public spoke out in support of the developments and no one spoke against it. But there were questions about infrastructure.
Ray Salinas said the developments seemed great, but the city needed to address water supply and transportation.
According to a city report, the current supplies do not meet water needs for the two developments.
Cimarron Park alone would require about 1,040 acre-feet of water rights.
There is about 900 acre-feet of water available to users in the area, of which 200 acre-feet are assigned for Vauxmont, with the rest available for the rest of the Jefferson Center, according to the report.
Speaking for both developments, Nickerson said developers are looking at various water providers to ensure supply, said.
Del Johannsen, president of a Standley Lake area homeowners association, said he supported the developments.
“This is a great project, and we have the right people that are involved,” Johannsen said.