Commerce City draft capital plan outlines $115 million in projects, leaves major work unfunded

Commerce City’s draft 2027-2031 Capital Investment Program outlines roughly $115 million in proposed capital projects, prioritizing road and pavement work, accessibility improvements, traffic safety, parks and facility maintenance. It also places several major projects in a “Horizon” category for unfunded or partially funded work. The city’s draft capital plan is part of the budget-planning process, not an approved spending plan.

The draft selects $8.11 million in 2027 projects, including $3 million for Chambers Road improvements between 105th and 116th avenues, $1 million for Americans with Disabilities Act ramp replacements, $800,000 for a Civic Center generator and $600,000 for East 68th Avenue improvements. Other selected projects include safety-action-plan work, Highway 2 streetlight theft prevention, Colorado Boulevard design, Bison Ridge Park and improvements at the golf-course well house and pool.

About $3.97 million of the selected projects would come from the General Fund, $3.62 million from the city’s restricted 2K fund and $525,000 from park impact fees. The draft identifies Chambers Road, East 68th Avenue, the Safety Action Plan and Highway 2 work as high priorities in the city’s Transportation Master Plan.

Separate recurring 2027 preventive-maintenance requests total about $10.66 million. The largest are $4.8 million for pavement management, $700,000 for street reconstruction, $600,000 each for concrete flatwork and traffic-signal maintenance, and about $1.52 million for parks, recreation and golf preservation.

Over five years, larger transportation requests include $9 million for ADA ramp replacements, $8 million for East 64th Avenue corridor improvements, $12.75 million for Highway 2 corridor-study implementation and $2.5 million for Safety Action Plan implementation. Facility and parks requests include a $3.57 million heating, ventilation and air-conditioning replacement at Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, a $4.46 million golf-course maintenance-building addition and multimillion-dollar Bison Ridge projects.

The largest Horizon requests include $39.8 million for an MSC Building expansion, $37.2 million for High Plains Parkway, $33.75 million for East 96th Avenue improvements, $29.45 million for Tower Road widening and $20.8 million for a Bison Ridge addition. The list also includes a $20 million Bison Ridge lap pool, $19 million to widen East 112th Avenue between Potomac Street and Chambers Road, and $18.5 million for Chambers Road improvements between East 96th and 103rd avenues.

Preliminary budget materials project average annual revenue growth of 4.6% and expenditure growth of 6.8%. Under the base projection, annual operating deficits begin in 2031 and unrestricted fund balance is exhausted beginning in 2035 if the city makes no policy changes. The materials also discuss possible future revenue measures, including property-tax changes and a residential waste fee, but do not identify them as adopted funding for the Horizon projects.

The city’s budget-workshop communication describes the presentation as informational and intended to receive council feedback and build consensus. Staff planned to revise the draft and incorporate its first year into the proposed 2027 budget for later council consideration. Public hearings are scheduled for Oct. 19 and Nov. 2.