Arapahoe County to discuss land deal for South Gun Club Road widening
The proposed agreement would add 32 feet of road right-of-way and a 20-foot public-use easement at no cost.
Arapahoe County commissioners are scheduled to discuss a proposed land agreement Sept. 28 that would provide property at no cost for widening South Gun Club Road near East Belleview Avenue.
The draft agreement with Rippey Commercial Investors would add 32 feet of road right-of-way and a neighboring 20-foot easement for public uses such as sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and utilities. It also allows extra width where turn lanes are needed. County staff recommends approval, and the agreement is listed for discussion at the Board of County Commissioners’ study session. The board has not yet acted, the staff report says.
The proposed agreement says the road project needs 141 feet of right-of-way; the existing width is about 89 feet. The land would support a segment of a broader, 1.5-mile project from Quincy Avenue to Aurora Parkway. Aurora’s plans call for final design of an interim four-lane road and conceptual design of an eventual six-lane road, with intersection improvements, multi-use paths, stormwater work and utility relocations, the city’s project page says. The proposed land deal covers the west side of the road near Belleview.
County staff estimates that moving CORE Electric Cooperative’s transmission line will cost $2 million, split equally between the county and Aurora, and says the funding was previously approved and is with the city. The draft agreement, however, makes the county responsible for completing and paying for the relocation; the documents do not explain how that responsibility fits with the reported cost split.
Utility work must happen before the road can be widened. The draft sets best-efforts targets to start utility construction within 18 months after the agreement takes effect and finish within 30 months; those are not guarantees, and the draft’s effective date and signature blocks are blank. Aurora says road-design funding is in place, but construction funding is still being identified; the project page does not give a road-construction start date.