Why it matters
How many homes can be built at Murphy Creek, what can sit in Buckley's noise contour and who pays for nearby flood work are now City Council decisions, with Gun Club Road access and technical reviews still unresolved for the applicant.
Commission votes 7-0 to cut southwest housing cap
Aurora's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 on Oct. 28 to recommend cutting the Murphy Creek southwest housing cap from 1,178 homes to 1,016 homes, a reduction of 162 homes across about 193 acres.
The land use changes cover about 193 acres in the development. A commission recommendation alone does not change the plan, and the proposal now moves to the Aurora City Council, which must approve the amendment before any change takes effect. City agendas and packets are available on the city's Council Meetings page.
Buckley noise rules push multifamily housing out of Planning Area 23
Planning Area 23 sits inside Buckley Space Force Base's 60 LDN noise contour, the day-night average sound level for the area, and Aurora staff said city code prohibits new residential uses or structures in that contour.
The proposed amendment removes multifamily housing from Planning Area 23. It does not remove everything proposed there, because proposed small commercial uses in the area would remain under the amendment the commission recommended to the City Council.
Gun Club Road access, technical fixes still need work
The commission's recommendation requires the applicant to address outstanding technical-review comments before the Murphy Creek plan can change, and future access points on Gun Club Road would need state coordination.
A consultant told the commission that future access points on Gun Club Road would require coordination with the Colorado Department of Transportation on access permits and traffic studies. That road work remains tied to the recommendation, alongside the applicant's unfinished technical-review comments.
Separate Murphy Creek flood work also heads to City Council
A separate Murphy Creek flood-control project at Yale Avenue and Jewel Avenue also awaits City Council action after Aurora's City Water Policy Committee supported moving its funding agreement forward on Sept. 17.
The committee backed moving intergovernmental agreements, formal agreements between governments, including the Murphy Creek agreement with the Mile High Flood District, to the regular City Council for funding and approval. Andrea Long, a principal engineer on the project delivery services team, said the work covers about 1.5 miles of stream and includes stabilizing banks, removing sediment and converting a piped quarter mile to an open channel. Long said the pipe now discharges into an irrigation pond, an arrangement not allowed under the city's water rights and reuse system.
Aurora previously contributed $2,300,000 toward the Murphy Creek work and the Mile High Flood District contributed $950,000, Long said, and Aurora is being asked to add $1,900,000 in new funding. Sam Scorsa, who is managing the project for Aurora, said the work sits upstream of the Lowry Superfund area and its plume is not expected to affect this reach.
Sources
Aurora commission recommends Murphy Creek plan with 162 fewer homes
