Finding a parking spot around Denver International Airport is about to get a whole lot easier.
Frequent flyers out of DIA will have thousands of additional spots to park their cars while they’re out of town next year following the completion of a massive new parking facility.
Fine Airport Parking broke ground June 2 on a new, 30-acre parking area just south of DIA off of East 56th Avenue set to boast up to 3,000 new parking spaces.
Slated for completion in early 2016, the vast new parking area will offer 24-hour shuttle service to the airport and about 2,000 covered parking spots with valet access. The remaining 1,000 spots will be uncovered.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Fine Airport Parking to Aurora,” Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan said in a statement. “The jobs, economic impact and service they’re providing to our tourism industry is a great addition to our community.”
The new project will support more than 300 direct and indirect construction jobs over the next several months, and an estimated 124 permanent new jobs once the facility opens. More than $25 million has already been invested in the parking area, with a total annual economic impact estimated to top $17.5 million for the combined Denver and Aurora community.
There are already plans to expand the facility to more than 150 acres with a second phase of construction in the coming years, which could include various retail and commercial projects such as hotels, restaurants and office space, according to a press release. The company heading the project also is anticipated to add about three-quarters of a mile of pavement to Jackson Gap Road, which sits adjacent to the property.
“Our team is excited to bring the Fine experience to Aurora, and we are so thankful for the warm welcome we have received from city leaders, the Chamber and Visit Aurora,” said Mike Fine, owner of the airport parking company. Each of the aforementioned organizations attended the ceremony on June 2.
Fine started his airport parking business in Tulsa, Okla., in 1983.
The groundbreaking of the colossal parking area came just one day before officials from Denver, Aurora and other Adams County municipalities agreed to nix longstanding regulations that prohibited commercial development around DIA. After years of wrangling, the Airport Coordinating Committee finally voted for an amendment that will allow Denver to woo commercial developers into investing in land near the airport in exchange for a one-time, upfront payment of $10 million to nearby cities in Adams County — including Aurora — and an agreement to split all future commercial tax revenues between the City and County of Denver and surrounding Adams County communities. The unanimous vote cast in favor of the regulatory changes on June 3 at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton marked a step forward in Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s vision for an airport city, or “aerotropolis,” brimming with retail, commercial and industrial ventures, to surround DIA.