What's Going On in Green Valley Ranch?

By Tom Gibbons

There seems to be new construction everywhere you look.  It is especially noticeable west of Tower Rd. and there is a reason for this. Green Valley Ranch is roughly defined as the area north of 38th Ave., south of 56th Ave., east of Tower Rd. and west of Piccadilly Rd.  This area lies entirely within Denver County but it is bordered immediately by Aurora on the north, south and east.  The taxes and fees developers are required to pay are much lower in Denver County than they are in Aurora and this influences their decisions about where to build.

Here is a list of some of the notable projects in our area:

•    Of course, there is the new E-12 school that is located west of Tower Rd. on GVR Blvd (48th Ave.).  This school has been in the planning stages for several years and will be a huge enhancement to our community once it opens, being the first High School opportunity in the immediate neighborhood.  Construction is expected to be finished this summer with the school to start in the fall.
•    A new Library will be built just to the south of the GVR Recreation Center.
•    Just south of the new school will be the Denver Connection, a 400-acre master planned, mixed use development located south of 48th St. between Tower Rd and Pena Blvd.  C.P. Bedrock, the owner, has plans for office, retail, hospitality, industrial, research and development and possibly residential uses.  Building of the infrastructure for this project has begun but further development may depend on the economy.  Take a look a their website www.denverconnection.com
•    Oakwood Homes, the home builder in Green Valley Ranch, also has a number of projects scheduled to start this year or soon after:
In cooperation with Denver Public Works, Green Valley Ranch Blvd. (48th Ave.) will be widened to four lanes all the way to Pena Blvd. and improvements will be made at the intersections.
The landscaping around the Town Center Park Lake will be completed.
The landscaping projects along Piccadilly Rd. and 38th Ave. will be completed.
A new 6 acre park will be developed along the First Creek Bike Trail near Argonne St & Elmendorf Dr.
Over the next several years they will continue to build approximately 2000 additional single-family residences north of GVR Blvd.  The completion date will depend on the market.
Depending on the strength of home sales for the area, Oakwood may start construction on a new single-family residential area west of Tower Rd. & 45th Ave.  It will have approximately 300 homes.
Commercial development, as of late, has been slow in the GVR area just as it has been throughout most of the country.  Hopefully this will change as the economy picks up.