FAQs

The process is kicking off Fall 2022. The project team will work property owners, Town staff, and other community stakeholders throughout the end of 2022. It is anticipated that the draft Planned Development document will be ready by the summer of 2023. Annexation and adoption of the final PD is anticipated to take place in Fall 2023; authorization from property owners would be needed prior to annexation and adoption of PD zoning. There is a separate track for the formation of the URA, which is anticipated to run concurrently with the planning process.

The Town has engaged in a planning process to build off initial visioning that was done in 2018. The Town is working with Torti Gallas, an award-winning planning, design, and architecture firm, to prepare more detailed master planning and a Planned Development (PD) for the southern portion of the I-25 Erie Gateway that is south of WCR 10. The Town owns property in the southern portion of the I-25 Erie Gateway that will be zoned to Planned Development (PD). The project team will work with area property owners to articulate an overall vision, talk about future development opportunities, and discuss opportunities to participate in the new Urban Renewal Authority area (URA) that is being established in this location.

There are several people involved in this effort and property owners within the study area may be speaking with a variety of Town staff, consultants assisting with this effort, and developers interested in participating in future development. More specifically, Town staff from Economic Development, Planning, and Public Works have been coordinating future land development activities. The Town is also working with several consulting firms to do more detailed planning for the Town-owned property on the eastern portion of this site. In addition, the Town is under contract with additional consultants that will help interested property owners with future land use applications. There are also separate URA activities that have specific noticing requirements, so property owners within the area may get contacted regarding these efforts. Specific firms currently engaged with the Town in this effort, include:

• Torti Gallas
• Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH)
• Aztec
• Community Mediation Concepts

Property owners, residents, and other study area stakeholders can always contact staff with questions and comments. Staff can be reached at planningdivision@erieco.gov or 303-926-2770. 

Colorado law gives cities and towns the right to form urban renewal authorities, which empower them with certain tools, including tax increment financing. This tool encourages economic vitality and can improve the public safety of an Urban Renewal Authority (URA) project area. The I-25 Erie Gateway URA is being formed to assist with future development and investment in the area.

The current I-25 Erie Gateway plan provides a high-level vision plan that lays out general uses for properties within the gateway area. The process that started in Fall 2022 will identify more specific future uses for properties, in conjunction with input from property owners. Any development or redevelopment for properties in the Gateway area would commence based on action from the property owner.

The I-25 Erie Gateway is located at the northwest corner of I-25 and Erie Parkway. The area encompasses approximately 1,300 acres and will serve as the eastern gateway to the Town of Erie. The community envisions this area as a mixed-use regional center that includes retail, housing, employment, and open space uses serving the northern Front Range.

No. Much of the I-25 Erie Gateway is within the Town of Erie Planning Area, but not yet annexed to the Town. Part of this process is to work with property owners that may desire to annex to the Town.

The I-25 Erie Gateway is within the Town of Erie Planning Area and represents an area that the Town anticipates becoming part of Erie at some point in the future. This effort will look at infrastructure and utility needs, the transportation network, as well as opportunities for development and redevelopment of individual properties. Participating in this process will allow for a coordinated approach to future development opportunities. Participating in this process does not mean a property owner is committing to develop their property in a specific timeframe but will allow property owners to influence the overall outcome. In addition, for property owners that are ready to annex to the Town, the Town is planning to cover costs and coordinate annexation and zoning applications.

The Town is planning to cover the cost of annexation and zoning to the new PD – Planned Development zoning district, including the cost to prepare annexation and PD zoning maps and documents, if a property owner decides to annex as part of this process. Property owners participating in this process, will not incur costs associated with submitting an annexation and zoning application to the Town. Costs that the Town will cover include:

• Annexation Costs: $500 - $2,000 (plus the cost for associated surveying, reporting and documentation preparation required for all annexation applications)
• Zoning Costs: $5,000 + 10/acre to establish Planned Development zoning (plus the cost for associated surveying, reporting and documentation preparation required for all zoning applications)

Property owners can choose to annex at a future date. The Town is planning to assist with annexations that are initiated as part of this process (including covering the cost for annexation), but property owners can choose to pursue annexation later.

There are significant infrastructure needs in this area. This infrastructure will likely need to be paid for through a variety of mechanisms. This could include funds generated by the URA and infrastructure installed by developers, among other things.

The Town will be developing an overall multimodal transportation network for the I-25 Erie Gateway. In most instances, the Town will not build roads through properties that are not developing or redeveloping. In some limited instances, it may be necessary to establish connections between properties; in those instances, property owners would be consulted and compensated for their property.

We anticipate that ample housing will be incorporated through a variety of medium, high, and mixed-use residential options. The residential uses will provide a diversity of housing types to support the mixed-use retail and employment areas within the Gateway, as well as housing needs throughout the Town.

Like much of the northern Front Range, the Town of Erie is growing. The Town consistently rates as one of the best places to live and raise a family, so growth is likely to continue. As the Town continues to grow and develop, it is expected that the I-25 Erie Gateway can be a significant opportunity to accommodate some of the future residential growth. There is an opportunity to incorporate a greater variety of housing types in this area; currently the Town of Erie is dominated by single family detached housing, which may limit opportunities for different demographic groups like young adults, seniors, and single households, among others. Housing is also needed to support the mixed-use, retail, employment, and other non-residential uses that are envisioned on the site.

This area will be changing over the next several decades. The planning process can evaluate appropriate transitions, including appropriate setbacks from existing properties and established uses.