Carma’s Solterra development this year’s Parade of Homes
The Home Builders Association of Metro Denver recently announced the 2008 Parade of Homes opens on July 26 and runs through Labor Day at Solterra, a new master-planned community located a half-mile east of C-470 and the new Alameda Parkway exit in Lakewood. The community is being developed by Aurora Economic Development Council investor, Carma Colorado, Inc. The homes range in size from 5,494 to 8,800 square feet and are priced from $1,995,000 to just under $2.5 million. The homes are certified Built Green Colorado meaning they are designed and constructed to comply with a rigorous checklist of more than 200 features in 22 categories covering energy efficiency, materials, health, safety and resource conservation. A Built Green home is more energy efficient, requires less maintenance, provides cleaner indoor air quality, is built with higher quality materials and saves the home buyer money. 

Earlier this year, Carma's Tallyn’s Reach in Aurora, was chosen from a field of premier, sustainable projects from across the country to receive the 2008 Sustainable Land Development International Visionary Award. Tallyn’s Reach is situated on the northern boundary of one of Front Range Colorado’s last remaining old growth forests, and is primarily a residential community of approximately 965 acres. Innovative land-use design, public/private cooperation, tree-friendly construction techniques, and performance-oriented design guidelines were incorporated throughout the project.

For more information on the Parade of Homes, click here.


Merrick & Company selected for F.E. Warren Air Force Base Contract
Aurora based Merrick & Company, was recently awarded a contract to provide a Common Installation Picture (CIP) to be used in support of the U.S. Air Force GeoBase program at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. Deliverables include a ½ foot color digital orthophotography, building footprints and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data to support one-foot contour interval mapping. LiDAR is a light sensor device used from an airplane to create topographic maps. In addition to day-to-day operations, the new data will be used in Major Accident Response exercises.


Colorado in top five of CNBC’s Top States for Business
Colorado ranks fifth for Top States for Business according to a survey conducted by CNBC. The network rated each of the 50 states on 40 different measures of competitiveness and compiled the information into 10 categories including: Cost of Doing Business, Workforce, Economy, Education, Quality of Life, Technology & Innovation, Transportation, Cost of Living, Business Friendliness, and Access to Capital. Colorado ranked fifth after Texas, Virginia, Utah and Idaho in the 2008 survey and ranked seventh overall last year.

For the complete ratings of each state, click here.

AtLast Fulfillment selects Lauth property in Aurora
AtLast Fulfillment, an outsourcing company offering solutions in warehousing, fulfillment and customer care, recently announced it will be relocating its headquarters to Lauth’s Aurora Commerce Center at 22100 E. 26^th Street, #100 in Aurora. The company will occupy 87,000 square feet with options to expand to 200,000 square feet and employ 100 people initially. The Aurora Economic Development Council assisted with permitting on this project.

For more information on AtLast Fulfillment, click here.



Federal Dollars Allocated for I-225 and Colfax Avenue/17^th Place Interchange
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2009 on July 14, which includes $1 million for the reconstruction of an interchange at I-225 and Colfax Avenue/17^th Place at the Fitzsimons campus. The funds will be used for environmental approvals and complete design and engineering work needed for the new interchange. The FY09 Transportation-HUD Bill now awaits action in the full Senate.