Representatives of the Aurora Economic Development Council (Accelerate Colorado) presented their annual update to the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners, reporting recent deal activity, site development and partnerships intended to grow primary employment in Aurora and the surrounding counties.

The EDC reported it had created or retained 4,145 primary jobs across 2024 and 2025 and attributed $2,580,000,000 in capital investment to that period (the EDC’s numbers are organization self‑reported). Staff described major categories of recent activity: distribution and logistics, construction and manufacturing, and data centers. The presentation named a new 170‑acre industrial park called 470 Commerce in the E‑470 / Gun Club corridor and a planned defense campus (Innovus) that is pursuing accreditation and a late‑year groundbreaking. The EDC said an associated project, “Project Spruce,” has a strong site interest in the 470 Commerce park.

EDC staff discussed outreach with federal tenants and the General Services Administration and reported initial interest in several Arapahoe County office options for a federal tenant, though follow‑up contact had been quiet at the time of the briefing.

On data centers, the EDC said it has scheduled a November tour of a local colocation data center (Flexential) near Centennial Airport to brief commissioners on what data centers look like in practice and how different types of centers (hyperscale vs. colocation) have different local impacts. The EDC said state‑level discussions about data‑center legislation remain active and that local input is important in any approach because of utilities, physical investment and tax considerations.

Workforce partnerships were a focal point: the EDC described connections among employers, Community College of Aurora, the Galen School of Nursing and Arapahoe Douglas Works. The group said manufacturing, the trades and health care are priority sectors for workforce development and that recent deals included companies such as RK Industries that are already engaging with local colleges and schools.

Commissioners were invited to join a November data‑center tour and asked to provide input on policy priorities the EDC should carry to state and federal partners. The briefing was informational; the EDC asked for no county action at the meeting.