Carbon Valley boom

With pressure coming at the Carbon Valley area from the west and south, it’s no wonder that the communities of Dacono, Firestone and Frederick are big winners in the race for infill and a larger tax base.

All three communities are swelling with residential, commercial and/or industrial projects up and down a six-mile stretch of Interstate 25 from Colorado Highway 52 to Colorado Highway 66. Originally home to a vast coal-mining community, with some mines lasting until as late as 1947, these once tiny dots on the map are growing up — significantly — as growth from Boulder and Longmont stretches east and Denver pushes north. The natural place for that growth to land is Carbon Valley.

Since 2020, each of these communities’ population has grown immensely, according to the U.S. Census, as of July 1, 2023, populations were estimated at:

· Firestone, at 18,589, was 13.5% higher than the 2020 census;

· Frederick, at 17,676, was 22% higher than the 2020 census;

· And Dacono was up 5% to 6,595 in population.

“What you’re seeing is a much larger population because of the comfortability with the community,” said Rich Werner, president and CEO of Upstate Colorado Economic Development. “There are so many different lifestyle options for people. We’ll continue to see growth in not only those three communities, but all up and down that area.

“Everything stops at I-25, that used to be the line,” Werner said. “Not anymore. We’ve seen tremendous growth in Windsor-Severance-Timnath, but that’s not the only game in town anymore.”

In fact, Werner said, the Carbon Valley area is now the hottest-growing area in Northern Colorado. Coincidentally, the state demographer’s office released 2023 population estimates in March, showing Weld had the highest population gain with 9,176 people.

Chicken or the Egg

Growth in south Weld County can be seen in the many new neighborhoods popping up as well as all of the employment centers and retail options.

Consider the number of jobs being created with companies relocating to the area. In the last two years, several companies have made announcements and are either working on or have opened:

• Western Midstream Partners LP acquired a building in Firestone that will employ 150 people.

• Lawn care company The Toro Co. (NYSE: TTC) selected Frederick for a research and development center for its robotics division. It brought 45 jobs.

• Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. (Nasdaq: BECN), a Virginia-based chain of building-supply retailers, opened a location in Frederick. 

• Aqua-Hot Heating Systems LLC, a 39-year-old company that builds hydronic heating systems for the recreational-vehicle industry, moved into a 44,000-square-foot building in Frederick to house its operations, manufacturing and distribution center.

• Hirsh Precision Products, Inc. a precision manufacturer specializing in the aerospace, medical device and scientific sectors, consolidated its Colorado operations at 4300 Godding Hollow Parkway, near Interstate 25, occupying 65,000 square feet. The majority of the operations moved from Boulder and Louisville.

• A new 123,000 square-foot King Soopers will be built in the Silverstone Marketplace at the northwest corner of Colorado Boulevard and Colo. 52. Another 300 jobs.

• Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is building a $725 million, 198,000-square-foot expansion of its oligo manufacturing facility in Frederick’s Eagle Business Park. 160 more jobs.

• Golden Triangle Construction Inc., which does business as GTC, moved its headquarters building at Godding Hollow Parkway and Raspberry Way in Frederick. It was previously located in Longmont.

While it usually takes a lot of population growth to bring in the businesses and chain retail, many businesses are relocating from other areas in Longmont and Boulder, creating the need for more housing. Consider, too, the average home prices in Denver shooting up beyond the shadow of what used to be affordable.

“The town of Frederick is experiencing significant pressure to accommodate growth extending from Denver,” Ryan Johnson, assistant town manager for Frederick, said in email responses to questions. “As Denver continues to face challenges with housing affordability and urban congestion, many residents and businesses are seeking more attainable and spacious alternatives in neighboring communities within and around the Carbon Valley.”

That pressure creates more demand and more housing projects in Frederick. In fact, in the last five years, Frederick has seen the addition of 1,000 new housing units, Johnson said.

Firestone, on the other hand, has several housing projects in the planning stages, if not already under construction. The Firestone Town Board modified its land-use code in 2020, allowing for a wide variety of housing styles. The code dictates that every 40 acres there needs to be different housing varieties. Since then, the town has seen 850 housing units go up.

“We’ve heard from builders that this is great, that it allows them to blow through a subdivision faster because of the variety of products and price points, and that will attract a variety of workforce. We’re not just going to be a $500,000 punch-and-go-every-five-lots kind of town. That’s been extremely helpful in allowing us to grow, said Paula Mehle, economic-development manager with Firestone.

“We will see the true impact of the requirement of diversified product with the development of the Denmore and Vistosa subdivisions at the intersection of Firestone Boulevard and Frontier Street as they are truly the first properties platted under the revised code” Mehle said. “The two developments at buildout will create approximately 1,600 units over a combined 425 acres.”

Additionally, Mehle said, the Barefoot Lakes community  just south of Colo. 66, at full build-out will offer about 5,100 residential units. 

Opening its own water treatment plant last year also has been helpful to Firestone in that it allows for a variety of alternative water sources other than Colorado-Big Thompson water, prices on which are helping drive up the cost of housing all over northern Colorado. 

Retail and job creation

Both Firestone and Frederick officials have welcomed commercial growth, and they expect more of the same in the future. Firestone is limited on industrial land, but that’s not the case in Frederick.

“In recent years, Frederick has welcomed several new companies to our town, particularly in industries such as bioscience, technology, manufacturing, and logistics,” Johnson said. “These arrivals have bolstered our local economy and provided valuable job opportunities for residents. We will continue to grow the retail base to meet the needs of the growing community along with supporting existing industries in their growth plans.”

Dacono is home to EarthRoamer, a specialty recreational vehicle manufacturer, and Airgas Inc., which supplies industrial, medical and specialty gasses, as well as hardgoods and related products. It is also a supplier of safety products, ammonia products and process chemicals. Symmetry Builders Inc., a privately held commercial general contractor, has 7,000 square feet of space in town.

Upstate officials call the Carbon Valley area a hub of machining and manufacturing, representing a variety of industries, including aerospace and health care. Employers such as Maysteel Industries LLC, Aqua-Hot Heating Systems LLC, Meadowlark Optics Inc., Front Range Industrial Inc. and ARC Group Worldwide, help round out the industries.

For Mehle, it’s enough to welcome the retail that is flooding into the town, now that the town is hitting population and income thresholds that retailers seek in finding new locations.

Firestone will soon be home to a QuikTrip, 7-Brew Drive-thru Coffee, Chick-Fil-A, and Bellco Credit Union.

All for one and one for all

Carbon Valley is a popular area for business to locate because there is not only available space, but it’s within a standard 45-minute commuting area, Werner said.

“When a business is looking to locate, they’re looking at the labor force, so we’re 30-45 minutes of a commuting economy that is going to allow a company to pick an appropriate site, and that creates that quality of life for employees,” Werner said.

“We’ve been such a bedroom community that now we’re trying to bring in businesses to balance our community,” Mehle said. “Now, most Firestone residents are leaving town for work. But some are just going to Frederick. Most of our residents don’t drive more than 30 minutes to work.”

Firestone’s new mobility hub at Firestone Boulevard and I-25 may solidify that regional feel when the Colorado Department of Transportation opens it in the fall. It will be a stop for the Bustang, which travels from downtown Denver to Fort Collins multiple times a day.

While all three communities have their own identities, the area is seen as a whole when it comes to site selection.

“There is a strong understanding of the regional benefit as a project lands there,” Werner said. “The competition comes in on the site selection, but ultimately, there is not one employer who is not benefiting from pulling a talent pool from the area.”

Mehle agrees: “I have a saying — the only people who care about the town limit line is the town itself because homebuyers and businesses are looking for the best location for them. Rarely ever do they know the politics of the town. It’s the right model, the right street, the right time it takes to get to work, or the right boundary of a certain school, proximity to shopping or services, and that’s not dictated by town limits. We do blend in a lot and complement each other.”