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Aurora

Aurora issues letter in response to Gaylord snags

Justin March 5, 2015 at 11:50 am 0

Below is a letter written in regards to the proposed Gaylord Hotel and Conference Center obtained by Denver Urban Review. I invite my readers to share their comments. The letter was dated March 4, 2015. Letter from Mayor Hogan(City of Aurora) and Wendy Mitchell The economic well-being of the City of Aurora as well as our integrity are under attack. A few downtown hoteliers – determined to squeeze out all competition - have for the past three years been trying to undermine the Gaylord Rockies Hotel and Conference Center and are now launching a last-ditch effort to kill the project. Numerous studies have shown that the Gaylord Rockies will attract more that 450,000 new tourists to the state each year, creating more than 10,100 construction jobs and more than 2,500 permanent jobs. These are jobs our city needs, and the out-of-state tourists staying at the hotel will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in Colorado each year, growing our state’s economy. The Gaylord tax incentives approved by the City of Aurora are structured so that every penny of the tax revenues would be generated by the project itself and would only be paid by guests staying at the hotel. Aurora residents will not see any of their tax dollars increased or diverted to pay for the project. Over three years ago, the City of Aurora also sought and was granted state sales tax incentives through the Colorado Regional Tourism Act to help complete the project. The city went through a rigorous and transparent process to secure state assistance and there was ample opportunity for anyone to challenge the merits of the project. Unable to acknowledge defeat and bolstered by their own self-interest, a group of downtown Denver hoteliers began to attack the project in court. The opponents hired numerous law firms, public relations consultants and lobbyists and began filing multiple lawsuits aimed at delaying the project and breaking our resolve. The City of Aurora had no choice but to legally defend itself against these frivolous lawsuits and we have prevailed on almost every count. Despite our opponents’ baseless legal challenges and persistent campaign of misinformation, the Gaylord project is still alive and well - but the fight is not yet over. There are rumors that our opponents may introduce legislation this year to kill the Gaylord project. We will be working to resist these efforts and calling on community leaders to express support for the Gaylord project and oppose any legislation that would negatively impact it. Despite the dishonest rhetoric spread by our opponents, the Gaylord project will be an economic engine for the City of Aurora infusing more than $273 million new dollars into the city each year. And every resident of our city (directly or indirectly) stands to benefit from this opportunity. City leaders and our partners are standing up for Aurora and against the outside special interests determined to dictate our city’s future. The credibility of the City of Aurora and the State of Colorado depend upon it. Sincerely, Skip Noe (Aurora City Manager)

Aurora Gaylord

Construction Updates

Stanley Marketplace makes progress

Justin February 9, 2015 at 12:04 am 0

Rendering of the redeveloped Stanley Marketplace slated to open fall of 2015

The Stanley Marketplace project located at 2501 Dallas Street in Aurora continues to make progress and is slated to open this fall. The project sits on the border of Denver's Stapleton neighborhood and Aurora. Stanley Aviation utilized the site as its headquarters where aircraft ejector seats were manufactured beginning in 1954. The company was started by Bob Stanley who was the first person to ever fly a jet aircraft when he was working as a test pilot in 1942. The vision for this adaptive reuse project is to convert the former Stanley Aviation property which has been sitting unused for years into a thriving urban marketplace. The 22-acre parcel and 100,000-square foot retail space will include:

A beer garden and restaurant operated by Denver restauranteur Kevin Taylor
Ample space for dining and retail
A community park
Indoor/outdoor event venue
Office space

The aim of the project is to create a mix of well-known and independent retailers. Stanley Marketplace has announced the addition of three new tenants: Tootsies the Nail Shoppe, providing manicures and pedicures, Kismet, a women's clothing and accessory store and Wax, a waxing salon presenting services for men and woman. Businesses from a wide variety of industries have expressed interest in the property. Tenants that are selected are done so by their relevance to Colorado and the Stapleton and Aurora community. The Stapleton-based firm Flightline Ventures consisting of Stapleton residents Mark Shaker, Lorin Ting and Megan Von Wald partnered with the City of Aurora to bring this project to fruition. “We’re incredibly excited to announce these businesses as the most recent additions to the Stanley family,” said Shaker. “Based on our research, the community definitely sees a need for their services, and we’re happy to welcome them to Stanley.” The City of Aurora also identified the need for a public gathering place in the area and made Flightline Ventures aware of the vacant property. The marketplace is part of a much larger redevelopment plan Aurora has for urban revitalization along the Westerly Creek corridor. "It's just thrilling to watch the pieces of this project fall into place," said Aurora City Manager Skip Noe. "The anticipation for the Stanley Marketplace continues to build in the community, and we are counting down to opening day."