What do projects like FasTracks, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, 13 new, relocated or expanded company headquarters in just one year and the Denver International Airport (DIA) have in common? Regionalism. Not one of these transformative projects would have come to fruition without it.
Just last week Denver and Adams County officials announced an agreement to help spur development of “Airport City” that will benefit all surrounding jurisdictions. The deal allows commercial development on 1,500 acres of land around DIA after an initial payment of $10 million from Denver to Adams County. The tax revenue that comes from the development will be split evenly among neighboring jurisdictions.
This is a perfect example of people with vastly different interests working together to find solutions that can benefit everyone. And, there are some key lessons for all of us:
- If you make a mistake, own it, apologize and course correct. Three years of negotiations don’t come without bumps in the road, and when they arose, we saw leaders from Denver take responsibility for any missteps, offer an honest apology and move forward.
- Stick it out. Three years is a long time to negotiate. We applaud leaders from across the region for staying at the negotiating table—and staying out of the courtroom—to find agreement.
- Who you send into a negotiation matters. These deals come down to trust. In every deal I have ever taken part the parties have to be open to learning and honest brokers.
Those involved in this agreement delivered a solution that is good for our entire region. This approach is one of the things that really sets our region apart from many in the country. This was true leadership. Thank you to all the leaders from Adams County, the City of Aurora, the City of Brighton, the City of Commerce City, the City and County of Denver, the City of Federal Heights and the City of Thornton.
This DIA agreement stands in stark contrast to the way business was done during the 2015 legislative session. We need all of our leaders to see the value of solving problems, not standing on party platforms. Ensure all the elected officials who represent you know how much you value leadership like that exhibited in reaching this new intergovernmental agreement for DIA.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
*This post has been corrected to reflect the full list of partners involved in the deal.
[Photo by Doc Searls]