Denver, Aurora Consider 1,435-Acre Swap

DENVER-The city and county of Denver and city of Aurora are exploring a land sale and exchange that would provide Aurora with more than 975 acres for recreation and open space. In return, Denver would receive a cash payment and approximately 460 acres of land adjacent to the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site, allowing Denver to consolidate its future landfill operations.

The land Denver would trade to Aurora is located approximately two miles east of the intersection of Gun Club Road and Quincy Road in Arapahoe County. This land would provide miles of open space along Senac Creek, thereby providing an important open space link to Aurora’s premier recreation facility, the Aurora Reservoir.

The trade would result in a tightly configured landfill for Denver, consisting of fewer total acres, with greenbelt on the eastern boundary of the landfill.

Because the refigured DADS landfill would have a smaller perimeter, the proposal would minimize the impact to adjacent land uses, the city says.

Although Denver owns sufficient land to provide for long-term waste disposal, the land is currently spread out over five, dispersed sections of land. This proposal will compact the landfill operations to four contiguous sections.

“The proposed land exchange is a unique opportunity for the citizens of Aurora and unincorporated Arapahoe County to acquire additional open space,” says Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb. “To consolidate Denver’s landfill operations and provide open space to Aurora is a win-win proposition that will benefit families and businesses in the region both now and in the future.”

Denver was deeded approximately five sections of land for a landfill in the mid-1960s by the U.S. when the military shed some of its property after World War II.

In 1968, Denver applied for and received a Certificate of Designation from Arapahoe County to landfill 2,680 acres of land. In 1980, Denver contracted with Waste Management of Colorado Inc. to operate the solid waste landfill, which now provides an economical site for Denver and Arapahoe County residents to dispose of their trash. Approximately 400 acres have been filled to date.