Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fitzsimmons Innovation Community leaders tout jobs, labs and master-plan next steps
Summary
Kelly Breaux, executive director of the Fitzsimmons Innovation Community, briefed the Aurora City Council on April 7 about the campus’s growth, its bioscience ecosystem and a revised master plan that will emphasize density, shared infrastructure and workforce connections.
Kelly Breaux, executive director of the Fitzsimmons Innovation Community, briefed the Aurora City Council on April 7 about the campus’s growth and an updated master plan intended to increase density and community connections.
Breaux said the 600-acre campus hosts hospitals, the Anschutz medical campus, the Veterans Affairs facility and industry and that roughly 28,000 people work there. She described Fitzsimmons as one of the state's largest bioscience clusters, with about 80 early-stage companies in managed facilities and roughly 415,000 square feet devoted to research, lab and office space. "This is the second largest economic driver in the state of Colorado," she said, noting the campus’s scale behind Denver International Airport.
Breaux said the Fitzsimmons Innovation Community manages about 84 of the site's acres and is preparing a revised master plan to increase mixed-use density so workers can live, dine and recreate on or near campus. The plan proposes commitments such as 1% for art and additional parks and open space, stronger campus partnerships with hospitals and universities, and expanded opportunities for Aurora Public Schools students to access internships and training on campus.
She described potential shared services and infrastructure projects under study, including a district energy approach with hospital partners and campus mobility solutions such as shuttles or future autonomous vehicles to connect parking, transit and work sites. City staff added that discussions have begun about relocating an Army Reserve parcel and consolidating some homeless services to free land for future redevelopment; those moves are at early stages and were described as part of longer-term site-readiness work.
Councilmembers welcomed the update and said they look forward to reviewing the master plan in detail when staff returns in May. No council action or appropriation occurred during the study session; the presentation was informational.
