Adams County hears ARDA overview as regional transport projects near $1 billion

Adams County commissioners on Tuesday heard an extended presentation on the AirTropolis Regional Transportation Authority, a development-funded regional transportation district south of Denver International Airport that leaders say now oversees close to $1 billion in projects.

Matt Hopper, chairman of the regional transportation authority, traced ARDA’s origins to a 2016 Colorado Aerotropolis visioning study and an intergovernmental agreement created in 2018. He said the authority’s boundaries have grown from about 3,000 acres to roughly 7,000 acres and now include more than 10 developments.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff framed ARDA as a tool to deliver multi-jurisdictional road and interchange projects quickly in greenfield areas around DIA. The authority uses a mix of developer contributions, local tax increments and municipal use-tax revenues to front-load construction of “middle” lanes that create connectivity and, organizers say, prompt adjacent developers to build full roadway sections sooner.

Hopper said ARDA’s financing and delivery model has encouraged development to move faster than it would under parcel-by-parcel construction. “Today, the boundaries of ARDA now represent about 7,000 acres … and over 10 developments are now included in its boundaries,” he told the commissioners. “Currently, ARDA oversees and delivers close to, a billion dollars in regional transportation projects.”

Board members and staff pressed on financing, governance and checks and balances. County staff explained the county’s contribution formula within ARDA’s boundary: 100% of the county’s road-and-bridge fund revenues generated in the boundary plus 50% of county general fund proceeds derived there. That revenue stream, paired with the city of Aurora’s up-front use-tax contributions and a five-mill levy applied inside ARDA, helps ARDA issue bonds and repay debt early, presenters said.

Presenters described major projects ARDA is financing or designing, including an Aerotropolis Parkway connection to I‑70, two I‑70 interchanges, and multiple arterial upgrades (20th Avenue, 40th Avenue and 50th Avenue corridors). They also described design choices meant to avoid costly pedestrian underpasses and to preserve school sites.

On governance, Hopper and county staff said ARDA’s board comprises county commissioners and city council members, which provides elected-official oversight; the board must also secure concurrence from the full board of county commissioners and affected cities and districts before expanding scope. Presenters described procurement practices intended to reduce conflicts—separating design and construction management firms, using competitive public bidding for contractors, and using independent verification (an engineer called Connex) to review pay applications and verify work before payment.

Commissioners asked about long-term implications, including whether expanding ARDA could resemble an urban renewal authority, and how future boards should weigh adding projects and territory. Hopper said early skepticism that ARDA would serve a single developer had been reduced as the authority grew organically and more developers sought to join.

Looking ahead, staff and ARDA leaders said the authority is coordinating with Denver International Airport and local cities to design contiguous corridor improvements from Pena Boulevard to I‑70. ARDA leaders also described an on-demand shuttle pilot that serves the area and RTD stations.

The presentation closed with commissioners and staff saying they would continue oversight of expansions, and asking staff to return with more details if the county is asked to commit additional tax or road‑bridge revenue to new boundary additions.