Seven years ago Colorado's population boom led environmental activists to place a growth control measure on the statewide ballot.

A pitched battle followed, with developers pouring millions of dollars into defeating the measure.

There was so much anger between the two sides that after the vote a radical group called the Earth Liberation Front burned down a mansion under construction in Boulder County in retaliation.

Now developers and environmentalists have put aside decades of fighting and are working together to find ways to guide development in the metro area, forming a coalition of onetime enemies that represents a surprising turn in a growth debate that polarized the state.

Denver's home builders and office developers have joined with longtime adversaries in the environmental movement to form the Colorado Tomorrow Alliance, which plans to push for higher density development along the transit lines now being developed as part of RTD's Fastracks program.

The two sides have found a common cause in Denver's burgeoning light rail system, which they hope will lead to dramatic changes in how Coloradans live and work. Developers and environmentalists first joined up to push for Fastracks, a $4.7 billion transit plan approved by voters in 2004. That led to discussions about how they might be able to continue working together.

Looking for new ways

"Success breeds success," said Elise Jones, director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition. "We said 'what else can we do together?' "

For their part, developers say they want to build new kinds of projects that break with the postwar mold of sprawling subdivisions strung out along freeways. Many have come to believe that building thousands of single-family homes on the prairies outside of Denver will lead to gridlock and damage the attractiveness of Colorado as a place to live.

"We're looking at new ways to do things," said Jeff Willis, president of the Home Builders of Metro Denver. "Everybody wants to see Colorado continue to be a great place to live."

Willis said home builders have realized there is a market for urban-style projects that include townhomes and condos built near transit stations, especially in the suburbs.

"There's a demand for higher density, downtown living," he said.

In 2000, real estate interests and green activists were locked in battle as growth became the most emotional issue in the state. Coloradans alarmed at California-style sprawl across the Front Range demanded lawmakers do something, and several proposals were debated in the legislature.

When the legislature failed to make sweeping changes, environmentalists turned to the ballot with an initiative that would have placed restrictions on where communities could grow. Developers spent $5 million opposing Amendment 24, which was soundly defeated in November 2000.

Concern about growth ebbed after 2001, when the state was hit hard by a recession and development slowed. Now Colorado has started growing again - the state recently was ranked the eighth-fastest growing.

After watching Amendment 24 go down to defeat, Jones said environmentalists re-evaluated how to approach the issue.

"We learned that we needed to build a bigger table and have everybody at it buying into the solution," she said.

High-density priority

Colorado Tomorrow was convened by the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute. Other groups involved include the Colorado branch of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, the Metro Mayor's Caucus, and Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The members have been meeting quietly since last summer, discussing ways to cooperate.

"It's a big experiment," said Marilee Utter, chairwoman of ULI Colorado. "This was a way to learn the lessons of regionalism and say what should we do to address growth in our communities."

So far, discussions have revolved around trying to change zoning to allow higher density construction, especially in the suburbs.

The group also plans to award "smart growth" certificates to projects that meet certain criteria, including pedestrian friendliness, access to transit, and incorporating retail and office space in housing developments.

The goal is to get people out of their cars by making it easier to live without them.

"How do we plan for the growth we're anticipating without creating a ton of sprawl?" asked Centennial mayor Randy Pye, who is playing a leadership role in Colorado Tomorrow. "A great deal of our focus will be on how Fastracks will transform the metro region. If we make growth at a higher density, it will save green space."

Pye said many developers also have changed their thinking about growth in Colorado.

"They don't want to build these huge subdivisions anymore," Pye said. "They want more dense development. We can't continue to sustain the American lifestyle with half- acre lots."

Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer said his city has more than half a dozen sites available for transit-oriented construction.

Tauer said the key issue for residents was making sure the developments blend in with the existing neighborhoods.

Centennial is conducting its own experiment in urban-style development, redeveloping the former Southglenn mall into a mixed use project with street- facing shops and offices and hundreds of homes on the upper floors.

Public debut coming

Colorado Tomorrow also has raised the sensitive topic of revenue sharing between adjacent cities. In Colorado, towns often compete feverishly for retail projects and the sales tax revenue they bring. Pye said this could become a problem when cities share the land around a Fastracks station.

"With Fastracks they're going to say 'you won't get a retail store, you'll get a parking lot.' It's a topic we'd like to broach."

The group will make a public debut in May, when it plans to ramp up its outreach effort and begin a series of public forums around the metro area.

Not everyone sees the effort as worthwhile.

"They're trying to limit individual choices and build a socially engineered utopia," said Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, a Golden-based think tank that campaigned against Fastracks. "They want to try to tell us where to live and how to commute."

But Utter said home builders' interest is being driven by consumers who no longer want to live in traditional subdivisions.

steerss@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2282

Back to Top