The city and county of Denver, along with six other cities, are considering the creation of an aerotropolis around Denver International Airport (DIA), but Adams County officials may not be keen on the idea.

The government representatives met July 25 to discuss the idea and begin creating a plan that may guide the development of Airport City Denver that would focus on offering business sites. The initial concept calls for the construction of five business clusters within a 9,000-acre area, targeting the bioscience, renewable energy, aviation and aerospace, logistics, industrial agriculture and perishable foods industries.

“The proposal for the aerotropolis and the airport city is certainly visionary and may be a positive benefit for the entire region, but it doesn’t appear that much of the airport city’s vision is within the Adams County government’s agreement restrictions,” Adams County Commissioner W.R. “Skip” Fischer said during the commissioner’s July 15 meeting. “Denver must take all the steps that are necessary to ensure the airport’s use of the property is consistent with the agreement. We feel this may not be the case here.”

The plan also calls for the South Terminal Redevelopment Program’s completion, which includes a 500-room Westin Hotel and conference center, and the RTD FasTracks commuter line to downtown Denver’s Union Station.

“I think that what you’ll find is that this airport city concept is compatible with what airports like DIA around the world are like today in how they’re growing and benefiting regions,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. “Aerotropolis was not really a concept at the forefront for airport planners in 1988; it was about runways and aeronautical activities. Airports have evolved, and the question is, `Do we take advantage of this opportunity here in a thoughtful way that benefits the region?’”

Kim Day, DIA’s aviation manager, said Airport City Denver’s development would have a significant economic impact in the first 20 years, including more 25,000 construction jobs and 30,000 jobs within Airport City Denver. She said the airport city is estimated to generate more than $300 million in city and state income, property and sales taxes, and add more than $5 billion in construction value.

But achieving this goal will not be simple. In all, Hancock said, DIA and adjacent municipalities must re-examine and modify at least 13 existing government agreements with neighboring communities, including Adams County, Bennett, Brighton, Aurora and Commerce City.