Aurora Municipal Center

Aurora City Council OKs blight tag for proposed Gaylord site

Four Aurora residents took a stand Aug. 22 against the blight declaration paving the way for Gaylord Entertainment to receive $300 million in tax breaks to build a Western-themed hotel and conference center.

Aurora City Council members on Aug. 22 voted unanimously to deem the area near East 64th Avenue and E-470 blighted in order to create an Urban Renewal Area to give tax incentives for the development.

Under the incentive plan, new sales taxes generated over a period of 30 years would be reinvested into the project but capped at $300 million.

Aurora resident Shirley Ney said empty agricultural land such as the site proposed for the Gaylord development should not be declared blight.

“I grew up on a farm in western Kansas. As I look at this land out there, I do not consider this land as blighted,” she said. “I think it’s very valuable land … valuable agricultural land is being eaten up by urban sprawl across this country. This proposal adds to that sprawl.”

The Aurora Urban Renewal Authority found six factors of blight on the area under Colorado law, including unsanitary or unsafe conditions, faulty lot layout in relation to size, unusual topography or inadequate public improvements or utilities and predominance of defective or inadequate street layout.

Other Aurora residents speaking against the project, including members of Citizens of Responsible Aurora Government, said the blight declaration was unconstitutional, but the city’s attorneys refuted that claim.

According to Chicago-based sports and entertainment facilities consulting firm HVS, however, the project could not be developed in the foreseeable future without the help of public financing.

No one lives on the property, so under Colorado law, it’s up to the land owner, LNR Property, to approve the urban renewal deal. Assistant City Attorney Mike Hyman said LNR Property has no objection to the land being blighted for development.

OIT Interoperable Communications Training

The Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Statewide Interoperability Executive Council in partnership with Highlands Consulting Group are in the final stages of developing a Statewide Interoperable Communications program. This program includes several curriculum components and delivery methods:

As part of the larger program the partnership will be bringing 35 ILT Train-the-Trainer (TTT) courses to regions throughout Colorado this summer. These TTT 8-hour classroom sessions are designed to provide trainers with the necessary information and resource materials to deliver Interoperable Communications Instructor Led Training within agencies and regions throughout Colorado.

Course sessions for the ILT TTT are now posted and available for registration on COTRAIN. To find a course near you and to register please go to www.co.train.org and search for Course ID – 1027250.  The attached flyer contains more information.

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