[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6560872,"mediaKeyId","3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77","parentId",3306624,"title","Committee advances proposed setbacks for plugged oil and gas wells, including 150x150 setback area and limited city easement for monitoring","audioSeconds",721,"startMs",2592240,"endMs",3313250,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77&start=2592&end=3313","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77/thumbnail_2592240.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6560872/Aurora-City/Douglas-County/Colorado/Committee-advances-proposed-setbacks-for-plugged-oil-and-gas-wells-including-150x150-setback-area-and-limited-city-easement-for-monitoring","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560872-60c5cb19c3283632b8f82613322c6199/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440159&Signature=GS7B0KfqjCds6JHBOzRIcNvaIX0hsMUzgvnahvhS2FGdOdxfK5sQMc0BC0tPkUV05Ce~E3xtWex4fmEXW4FOfCJ4f7OIyCgAJNj~rONBlfremJlyqI1pSkxzQU6SXLaIUcQB9KBMqCsSFTemvoOntDNPaiYsSWewm820WAXDaLZNCsYuHSr6kAmOvG0R69Hmt8tXk7grZm8iYPPNTTTswlxJA04zIiJkP6Aeg-4SNrU7UARepz0PT365cXWUIH~fij9OB3o7bMUjojNXlpUXB9ziyMN7wa08du1IKEe1lcjltl2L~DtqnYcNsygPnfK25hZgwDngoHiVvDsNgPwKnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Aurora City, CO","date","2025-05-14T19:38:35Z","article","Jeffrey Moore, manager of the Energy and Environment Division, presented proposed Unified Development Ordinance updates to establish setbacks and limited access easements around plugged oil and gas wells, and the Planning and Economic Development Policy Committee voted to advance the proposal for additional review.

Moore described plugged wells as wells with surface equipment removed and cement placed in the subsurface pipe; Aurora currently has 68 plugged wells and staff expect more to be replugged over time. He said setbacks are meant to preserve space for safe access and possible replugging work and to reduce public and environmental risk.

Proposal details Moore described include:
- A setback area equal to 22,500 square feet (an equivalent 150 by 150 feet or an irregular shape with the same area) reserved around each plugged well so equipment can be brought in;
- No above‑ground utilities within a 25‑foot radius and no buildings within 50 feet of the well;
- A 100‑foot residential/sensitive‑use setback that staff proposed be expanded to include schools and hospitals; and
- A limited, permanent surface easement allowing city staff to perform a noninvasive annual soil/gas screening to detect measurable hydrocarbons and identify sites needing state action.

Moore said the city reduced earlier, larger setback proposals after working with developers: the ordinance will remove references to a 175‑by‑175 foot area and state that the setback is the 22,500‑square‑foot standard. He also said developers must locate and survey wells on site plans; the state and city will determine whether a well needs replugging and the state typically handles replugging absent an active operator. A state permit and a surface‑use agreement with the landowner would be required for replugging work.

Moore described how setbacks can be used once a site is developed — parks, open space, parking lots and other uses consistent with the parks manual — and said overlapping setbacks are allowed where multiple wells are close together. He said any measurable methane in soil would be treated as a leak and remediated under state processes as part of replugging or repair.

Committee members asked whether the residential 100‑foot setback could make developable land scarce and how Aurora’s proposed half‑acre standard compares to other jurisdictions. Moore said the city had reduced earlier sizes and that surrounding jurisdictions range from much smaller setbacks (Garfield County) to larger ones (Arapahoe County); Aurora’s proposal is about 0.5 acre in area.

On a voice approval, committee members agreed to advance the proposal. Council member Gardner, Council member Jurinski and the committee chair registered approval during the meeting; staff said they would take the ordinance next to the joint task force, Planning and Zoning Commission and then to a study session with council for further review.

Moore: “We really think we've got a good, landing place on this. ... The goal there, again, is to provide the space that we need around this these plug wells, with no structures inside.”

Outcome: The committee voted to advance the UDO setback and easement language for additional review by the joint task force and Planning and Zoning Commission.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning and Economic Development Policy Committee - May 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff proposed, and the Planning and Economic Development Policy Committee voted to advance, UDO changes that would require a 150‑by‑150‑foot setback area around plugged oil and gas wells and a limited city easement for annual monitoring.","taxTitle","Aurora City, Douglas County, Colorado","taxId",5767,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6560877,"Aurora begins Unified Development Ordinance audit to identify zoning barriers to smaller lots and attainable housing",193,2308450,2501770,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77&start=2308&end=2501","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77/thumbnail_2308450.jpg","/articles/6560877/Aurora-City/Douglas-County/Colorado/Aurora-begins-Unified-Development-Ordinance-audit-to-identify-zoning-barriers-to-smaller-lots-and-attainable-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560877-e18339c53192a8e9b1d1a06f1e787b55/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440160&Signature=PHMMAH-KgwO028cK4z6PBwi8x1TiUfgPkfOqV-LhlXPysfqjp8YqGMhwj-ouVM1fpz2A2c1-mad83~fpbCJv89WZ1YEHrccKPL7lrzYRNzcw-IfOsWYmzls3RhA0iRh2BhUnvHvdRLwA95qd57pibac8YKzVosN38cUPp5ZpQzQDFXeJxKbnv~vXe4ZEADqQ6h-Bmw3EKlGz1DXgEzjsuYpexXvoV1o4Op3-MKvnfVG6PMtZj3ROxNSBr4aUNTkP-3Bux7gwy-NU3y~gajqcLrltl0BjanAYEBZW30micgMGvYJZtOXwH7VTYYiCAZpjhgVNCjxAbU0XunSG8895sQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Janine Rastad, director of planning and business development, told the Planning and Economic Development Policy Committee that the city has retained MultiStudio with subconsultant Ayers to perform a code audit of Aurora’s Unified Development Ordinance.

The audit’s purpose is to identify regulatory barriers to smaller lots and more attainable housing, she said, and it will examine parking requirements, building materials standards, subarea zoning differences, transportation costs and forecasted demographic changes that affect housing demand.

Why it matters: The code audit could lead to UDO changes that enable more small‑lot and other housing types to be built, affecting housing affordability, neighborhood form and infrastructure planning.

Rastad said the consultant team includes planners, an attorney, landscape architects, architects and engineers, and started work after a kickoff meeting. The project will include stakeholder listening sessions with internal city partners, developers, and the public; facilitated developer roundtables; development of topic papers on price and financing, transportation and demographic forecasts; and use of the Development Review Advisory Board to inform recommendations.

Rastad said staff will return to the committee with a detailed outreach schedule and next steps. Council members asked whether the audit will address Aurora’s many zoning classifications; Rastad confirmed the code audit will identify where the UDO is too complicated and where the city can simplify distinctions among residential subareas.

Rastad: “So it's very dynamic and get will get to all the needs that we need to look into with our code.”

Next steps: Staff plan additional stakeholder engagement and aim to present a detailed outline at the next committee meeting.","The city retained a consulting team to audit Aurora’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and recommend changes to allow more small‑lot housing, reduce complexity and address parking and building standard requirements. Staff plan substantial stakeholder engagement and will return with a detailed schedule.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6560881,"VisitAurora presents three‑year plan as council members raise concerns about $2 nightly fee and hotel promotion",626,37120,663760,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77&start=37&end=663","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77/thumbnail_37120.jpg","/articles/6560881/Aurora-City/Douglas-County/Colorado/VisitAurora-presents-threeyear-plan-as-council-members-raise-concerns-about-2-nightly-fee-and-hotel-promotion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560881-6a7c34986fc03022ffeea916b0c8c6a2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440160&Signature=K7Fvps8Rk~88xRWkJbh69p5M1xdMc-0dRKOSW6ifvbu~zhI73OeVr-dx7eWiTu-kvPSosfsddtpyNKGSX~WDKXqqRhVRIZhT~1cVfYvbXm1fRFKAOVlyuV57dK6OQPH6JLmkqXsL68Gw5vHjVCUokLxJATIwgbHdvHs9CFAWM6KPfEGTz-XETDRPnvn5X2wME~imOWXO9UFiBmnE~QQ0NkG564vQSxaJiyTmm7IySp2HDYzlFpyUOSUxycWj7OaqqeZjzPjDm0yAKpcwatLcAxBIxrpOP4mBLPyLIXqxQ3y85lB8MKAZ6z9Iwb8fL1bTZUW~KT2mq-K39nxVKnoEiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","VisitAurora President and CEO Bruce Dalton presented the organization’s three‑year strategic plan to the Aurora City Planning and Economic Development Policy Committee, saying the plan focuses on increasing overnight stays, supporting product development such as festivals and hotels, expanding destination awareness and aligning tourism strategy with citywide economic development goals.

Dalton said VisitAurora’s work responds to a recent downturn in business travel: “The first quarter of 2025, the lodgers tax collection in the city of Aurora were down 17% from the first quarter of 2024,” Dalton said, and added the destination marketing fee collections for the first quarter were about $66,000 below VisitAurora’s 2025 budget projection.

Why it matters: VisitAurora is the city’s destination marketing organization; changes in lodging tax and the destination marketing fee affect its operating budget and how much the organization spends to promote hotels, festivals and other visitor‑facing activity that generates sales tax and hotel occupancy revenue for Aurora.

Dalton summarized VisitAurora’s plan pillars — sales and marketing, destination alignment, organizational strength and destination management — and listed recent work such as the 2024 Aurora Borealis Festival, neighborhood guides and the visitors guide. He said the organization is pursuing leisure marketing, cooperative marketing with tourism businesses and sports‑event recruitment, and is working on cultural tourism and a visitor experience grant program.

Committee members pressed Dalton on how VisitAurora markets the city and how it spends public funds. Council member Jurinski criticized what he described as an imbalance between VisitAurora’s revenue and its visible returns, citing the $2 destination marketing fee collected per room night. Jurinski said a growing group of Aurora hotel owners believe the $2 nightly fee has contributed to a loss of business to Denver and other neighboring cities and questioned VisitAurora’s overhead and personnel costs. “We give the Aurora Chamber about $75,000 a year. We give the AEDC about $500,000 a year. ... you get roughly 4 to $5,000,000 from us a year,” Jurinski said.

Council member Sundberg and others pushed back on aspects of Jurinski’s critique. Sundberg called sports tourism “such a beneficial thing to our city” and said long‑running sporting events have delivered measurable economic benefits. Dalton offered to meet with Jurinski and hotel owners to walk through VisitAurora’s finances and strategy, and he said his compensation is comparable to similar destination organizations.

Committee members also asked Dalton for more detail on VisitAurora’s role in bringing sporting events to Aurora and whether some events predated the organization. Dalton said VisitAurora works with event organizers primarily on hotel room blocks and destination promotion and that some long‑running events had existed locally for decades and were not created by VisitAurora.

Dalton noted VisitAurora’s recent rebranding and the launch of tools such as neighborhood videos, the Aurora Borealis Festival and the Cheers Aurora brewery tour. He said VisitAurora is exploring alternative funding streams and is pursuing a grant with the Colorado Tourism Office for cultural tourism research and development.

The committee did not take a formal vote on VisitAurora’s budget or fees during the meeting; Dalton said he would meet with council members and stakeholders to answer more detailed questions.

Dalton: “I am proud of what we've accomplished and what we've done in the city, and I know that a lot of people throughout the city, are as well.”

Looking ahead: Council members asked for additional financial detail and follow‑up meetings with hotel owners and VisitAurora staff to review the organization’s budget, promotional placement of Aurora and non‑Aurora hotels, and strategies to pursue self‑sustaining revenue for VisitAurora.","VisitAurora outlined a three‑year strategic plan focused on sales and marketing, destination alignment, organizational strength and destination management. Council members raised concerns about declines in lodging tax revenue, the $2 destination marketing fee, perceived promotion of non‑Aurora hotels and VisitAurora overhead.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6560866,"AEDC reports jobs pipeline, vacancy shifts; BAB announces June crime forum for hospitality and manufacturing businesses",632,3856750,4489040,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77&start=3856&end=4489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3306624-84af5bd166123da1463a10163058ea77/thumbnail_3856750.jpg","/articles/6560866/Aurora-City/Douglas-County/Colorado/AEDC-reports-jobs-pipeline-vacancy-shifts-BAB-announces-June-crime-forum-for-hospitality-and-manufacturing-businesses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560866-63e7f30e72ed032f4d2bcf61305d1f53/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440160&Signature=ZN8g4veKYnJxb0h18akaLnb6VzvZhAshU3MKK8TooNvZNmO37xqFe8Gtjc2fJolJiua1osjPS9SpNONYW01cub4Y1BUYOrlRue3yUzrzZZQ-Snw~SASjDNWgxm~E9Sx19FlnNSqTNW4abicSvy~OmS-y4BK35b3n6~ZjeT5asLonN00wpF9vKl0Uxc-xaEp3MHoyCLI-rdJp6P5MZB2H-3vGNVcbYw0Tr7TYY9jeVBbiTDvCL5jB9xDQ1u-m5-uqgrD6P9itvOJ7LEyuzJ8XlOoCBS0DfTj2zJd1guQs4KFZr6Mp9QABgY89fV1rmaHYku9CF8kNh26gnzwoAJI1gQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Yuri, speaking for the Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC), updated the committee on recent business attraction and market trends. He said AEDC has several recent deals that together will bring “around 300, 400 jobs” and that another couple of deals are in the pipeline that could produce similar job numbers. Yuri said the state’s prospect pipeline is unusually weighted toward manufacturers and energy‑related companies.

On commercial markets, Yuri said industrial vacancy has risen to about 12% after a wave of development over the past 18 months and that office vacancy and lease rates are holding steady. He said the AEDC is working with Arapahoe and Adams counties and the state on enterprise zone redesignation that will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and that the agency continues engagement on energy reliability and PUC filings.

Why it matters: AEDC’s pipeline and enterprise zone boundaries affect future employment, tax revenue and where the city can market available land to prospective firms.

Separately, Sarah Woodson, co‑chair of the Business Advisory Board (BAB), announced a crime forum on June 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Element Hotel on Tower Road. The forum will focus on property crimes affecting hospitality and industrial manufacturing businesses and will include a presentation by Commander Pendleton with data and trends on motor vehicle theft and property crime. Woodson said the BAB will work with VisitAurora to invite hotel owners and asked council members to help with outreach.

Becky Hogan of the Planning Commission briefly announced an annual workshop with planning staff and reminded the committee that the commission awaits council appointment of a new planning commissioner.

Yuri: “We’re on pace to have another good year, but companies are cautious.”

Next steps: AEDC will continue to pursue pipeline prospects and coordinate on enterprise zone redesignation; BAB will distribute invitations and outreach information for the June 6 forum.","Aurora Economic Development Council reported pipeline activity that could bring several hundred jobs and noted higher industrial vacancy; AEDC is working on enterprise zone redesignation and energy resiliency. The Business Advisory Board will host a crime forum June 6 focused on property crimes affecting hospitality and manufacturing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances proposed setbacks for plugged oil and gas wells, including 150x150 setback area and limited city easement for monitoring

Aurora begins Unified Development Ordinance audit to identify zoning barriers to smaller lots and attainable housing

VisitAurora presents three‑year plan as council members raise concerns about $2 nightly fee and hotel promotion

AEDC reports jobs pipeline, vacancy shifts; BAB announces June crime forum for hospitality and manufacturing businesses