Jeffco Coalition Calls for Moratorium on Amazon-Type Warehouse Developments

Planned Warehouse Development Could Bring Up to 1,000 Semis

EMBARGOED UNTIL 5.23.2023 10 AM MST NEWS CONFERENCE

GOLDEN, Colo., May 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of property owners from 18 homeowners' associations in Jefferson County, organized as McIntyre Neighbors United, are calling for a county moratorium on Amazon-type warehouse developments. A pending development application opposed by the group is expected to result in three warehouses in a neighborhood adjacent to Arvada.

The pending application from the project's developer specifically states the application is for a "logistics distribution center," the precise language used to describe Amazon-type warehouse facilities.

The coalition conducted a news conference on the steps of the Jefferson County Government Center this morning to air their concerns about the proposed warehouse development and ones like it. The development would include a combined 500,000 square feet of warehouse space (roughly the square footage of the entire Jefferson County Government Center) very close to private homes and a planned assisted living center. The warehouses, which are expected to be 40-feet high, could result in 1,000 daily semi-truck trips through nearby neighborhoods.

Anne Laffoon, a leader of the McIntyre Neighbors United, says the I-3 "light industrial" Jefferson County zoning classification is outdated and does not address the semi-truck trips that will go into and out of the vacant infill, 40-acre location adjacent to Hyatt Lake. The property at issue is on McIntyre Street at 60^th Ave between Arvada and Golden.

"The only way for trucks to get from the site to a highway is to use McIntyre Street, a local road, to travel 4 miles to reach Interstate 70," Laffoon said. "That results in the semi-trucks going through neighborhoods and by schools 24-7."

Laffoon said the group wants to be clear that it is not anti-development. "We want a building moratorium until the county figures out how to regulate developments like this, because it's clear they have yet to do that," Laffoon said. "We would be supportive of considering this site for affordable housing options, retail options, and other developments that would be sustainable and compatible with the area. What's being proposed with these warehouses is the opposite of that."

The proposed project in unincorporated Jefferson County, currently referred to as "5950 McIntyre St.," has a preliminary development application pending with Jefferson County to build three large distribution warehouses. The property has a long history of environmental issues and is adjacent to the Croke and Farmer's High Line canals and a local reservoir/amenity known as Hyatt Lake. 

The designated permitted uses and zoning have not been updated in decades to reflect recent development patterns which are primarily residential and neighborhood commercial/retail uses. The county is considering this proposed project under the Light Industrial-3 zoning regulations, though this type of use was not contemplated when the zoning was established. 

The project is being permitted in three phases: 1) a land disturbance permit to relocate the Farmer's High Line Canal in order to increase buildable acreage with status pending, 2) a pre-application to construct the three warehouses and 3) the proposed construction of a spillway for Hyatt Lake, a reservoir fed by the Farmer's High Line Canal, so that the lake has the capacity to accept storm water run-off from the proposed warehouse/logistics distribution project.

About McIntyre Neighbors United

McIntyre Neighbors United includes 18 homeowners associations (HOAs) that have communicated on behalf of the community with the Jefferson County Commissioners, City Council of Arvada, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and several open space/conservation groups about the community-led effort to examine the impacts of this proposed project. The coalition is not anti-development; it simply wants a planning and approval process that supports sustainable and compatible development. For more information go to www.mcintyreneighborsunited.org.

Contact:

Erich Kirshner, Lasso Digital
303.921.6733 or [email protected]

SOURCE McIntyre Neighbors United