[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6604331,"mediaKeyId","2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3","parentId",2989201,"title","Market study: Bison Grill expansion could grow annual food-and-beverage revenue; staff to seek bids and ramp marketing","audioSeconds",2463,"startMs",14845000,"endMs",17308000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3&start=14845&end=17308","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3/thumbnail_14845000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6604331/Commerce-City/Adams-County/Colorado/Market-study-Bison-Grill-expansion-could-grow-annual-food-and-beverage-revenue-staff-to-seek-bids-and-ramp-marketing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6604331-e6e70727868367a66ee7e94190cf652a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169841&Signature=BC5HXSCZUlpKRdV92W4XbdAD31etBICt~Ip0QQ86ktyLDIx9zJ05~g5b~RwvQFDSJjyasvgdpxJw~CTSEsu8jHcFfo6fAWRbUON33QjAy0RsBde1JF~5pv6VHF2hkplhww2SuL~wRZbc8igcPodXg3TcpTZ0GUrH5fEYXKdOv3Tqe-1bzYrOwTNnTYOWIWPTB-SZc5mGnKytkiyagdQQyoogKbtHh9S-l-2s9dhiDMXYgZ6eg49m5t6~74jScFjxmBdZbWIbfCGBzq4h~nDYg4xfpWCr3XmPyf473Gqqw4mb~DwNecAARsPKxRvGXBFoU89QdFT23N0YY~R7cjlwXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Commerce CO","date","2025-04-15T05:57:23.08Z","article","Commerce City presented a market and revenue update for the proposed Bison Grill expansion at Buffalo Run Golf Course on April 14, with consultants projecting the expansion would add between about $200,000 and $700,000 in annual food‑and‑beverage revenue over current levels.

Chad Redden, director of Parks, Recreation & Golf, introduced the study team and the project background. Dan Conway of THK Associates, the consultant who performed the market analysis, said the study used a conservative primary trade area focused on Commerce City households and estimated current clubhouse (restaurant) revenue at roughly $1.5 million without expansion. With the proposed remodel and additional banquet space, Conway projected an initial restaurant year of about $1.75 million with growth to roughly $2.8 million over a ten‑year horizon. “We believe the expansion will add somewhere between about $200,000 and $700,000 per year in additional revenue,” he told council.

What the study examined: THK said analysts reviewed trade‑area demographics (about 64,400 people and 22,800 households in the primary area), competing restaurants and banquet venues, and revenue from golf tournaments and community events. The study assumed the expanded facility would host weddings, corporate luncheons and tournament banquets and would be able to stage multiple events simultaneously.

Staff follow-up and timeline: Parks staff said they will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for construction bids “later this week or very early next week.” Chad Redden and the golf operations team said they will simultaneously increase marketing outreach for the restaurant, engage a restaurant‑marketing specialist and maintain service while planning construction phasing. Travis Huntington, community relations manager, outlined a marketing strategy that emphasizes a clearer Bison Grill brand, event‑bookings outreach, digital advertising and targeted partnerships to increase resident awareness and event rentals.

Council questions and cost context: Council members asked several operational questions — whether the city would operate the restaurant directly or sublease to an outside operator; how long net profitability would take once construction is completed; and whether the city should consider full rebuild (scrape-and-replace) versus partial renovation. Staff said many municipalities retain in‑house restaurant staff but some do sublease; they also said the expansion is expected to gradually bring the operation back to net positive over roughly seven to ten years after the renovation, though that timeline depends on construction and operating costs.

Next steps and process: Staff said the RFP for construction would be posted imminently, that they would continue interim marketing while preparing construction documents, and that they would present contract recommendations after bid evaluation. The council also agreed to continue permitting and budget oversight as bids arrive.

Ending: The market study gives staff and council a revenue projection and a marketing plan to support the expansion; council asked staff to return with firm bid results, cost comparisons for scraping-and-rebuilding versus partial renovation, and a plan for staffing and operations before awarding construction contracts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council & Planning Commission Study Session - April 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A consultant market analysis presented projections that expanding the Bison Grill at Buffalo Run could increase restaurant revenue by roughly $200,000–$700,000 annually as the city expands banquet and catering capacity; staff will issue an RFP for construction and step up marketing while the project advances to bid.","taxTitle","Commerce City, Adams County, Colorado","taxId",4151,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6604336,"Commerce City economic-development team says city captures strong sales tax but retail gaps remain on the north side",6127,9317000,15444000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3&start=9317&end=15444","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3/thumbnail_9317000.jpg","/articles/6604336/Commerce-City/Adams-County/Colorado/Commerce-City-economic-development-team-says-city-captures-strong-sales-tax-but-retail-gaps-remain-on-the-north-side","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6604336-aac07eb44b89872811eaf8c0ce89fb63/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169841&Signature=oKO53d7edNlBbBNuxVilpWadLRj2Kbt2gFZS0JjY7CgSVLebzCUH-EJXpb7DwyjfsLb9l~6TS9KIqegO0srpTQgo0~6bu4JQVUV7Rpj1es9o4z8HyVAJ3tYS8VQVS0aa28wc4sIBbCxBM9EQq1ywJDX04Dx-KfU7sAnoIIxbunSHZlJiX0AONveZRaLXrAI~0w8mjFXM1ncxbzgUoIy1cbCrJBJbXvdYqX1jo3Np12gvFWR7ULp1yAWdF1tmC58nyVqe7PlBtrz-Vxga9Cx~T-c7BoSThI-DhXmEWeHIAe5mD0ZXZvJ5y~xJlyGnihaGEPCC9KM-qSLV22VtycEd4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commerce City’s economic development director and team gave a market briefing April 14 showing the city collects more sales tax per resident than most nearby suburbs but still lacks key retail services on the north side, including a full grocery and large home‑improvement stores.

Garrett Anderson, economic development director, told council the city’s per‑capita sales tax receipts are higher than nearby Thornton, Brighton and Westminster once population is taken into account; the city’s strong showing reflects a heavy concentration of primary employers, transport‑sector activity and online/destination sales. Anderson said a large share of the city’s sales tax now comes from non‑retail categories such as manufacturing, wholesale and vehicle fleets.

Grocery, restaurant and building-materials retail are the categories where local demand exceeds local sales, staff said. Anderson told council that for grocery the gap approximates the demand for roughly one additional full grocery store in the near term and that retail recruitment often requires both traffic visibility and multiple co‑tenants (developers and national retailers prefer several anchors to open at once).

Policy and process issues staff identified as barriers to new retail included:
- Permitting and development fees: staff showed earlier fee analyses indicating Commerce City’s current fee structure can be higher than neighboring jurisdictions, and they recommended streamlining and predictable timelines; staff said fees also include separate water/district or metro‑district levies that affect final project costs and that council may have to weigh in on incentives or fee concessions for specific projects.
- Site and traffic visibility: Anderson highlighted 100th & Fourth/Tower Road and the I‑76/I‑85 corridors as the best visibility corridors and pointed to the “Hammer” property near the Platte River and the E‑470/100th & Fourth area as priority sites for large-format retail if access and parcel assembly occur.
- Incentives and predictability: Anderson recommended tightening the city’s incentive policy so smaller, clearly‑targeted administrative incentives can be approved quickly while larger or negotiated incentives follow an explicit council-reviewed process.

Council reaction and questions: Several council members said parking, transit access and the perception of regional transit service are real constraints — Councilmember Oscar Madera described how limited or hourly bus service reduces the practical effect of a “transit service area.” Elected officials asked staff to bring water‑district development fees and metro‑district levies into discussions because those outside charges make commerce development comparatively more expensive.

Staff’s next steps: Anderson said staff are preparing a draft revised incentives framework that would (a) allow an automatic administrative incentive when a project meets clear thresholds, and (b) keep negotiated council approval for larger or unusual projects. Staff also pointed to a workforce‑development effort (an “Advanced Commerce City Together” partnership funded with ARPA money) to boost local skills for target industries.

Votes at a glance: During the economic-development presentation council voted to extend the meeting to 11:00 p.m. to continue business. Staff did not record a named mover or recorded roll call on the audio; the chair called the voice vote and the motion passed.","Economic Development staff reported a competitive per‑capita sales-tax performance driven by large employers and online/destination sales, but identified retail gaps — groceries, restaurants and home‑improvement retail — and recommended faster permitting and clearer incentive policy to attract retail investment.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6604340,"Commerce City staff outline land-development code changes to match 2024 state housing and land-use laws",5049,344000,5393000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3&start=344&end=5393","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2989201-222809b9718324f4b1db0a9ac9dcb1c3/thumbnail_344000.jpg","/articles/6604340/Commerce-City/Adams-County/Colorado/Commerce-City-staff-outline-land-development-code-changes-to-match-2024-state-housing-and-land-use-laws","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6604340-c56268f285fd7db6516b2d6fd5c71135/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169841&Signature=ng8lv44O7DGmF1GoDR5SB1~YSb5veAiWQ2C49fhh1jy2zKD43aKdh2cerjgU6OIsPSmCdlGyjlpz8G3SPja700qVk3xq6v6DhI4Jh5~jONNMmap1MsQJ3LYEOhhVkPcHo5lNzQoyRipxTscdnBkMl3dRtao43MhKMhBhWdxfYCJTkv3-l8jp1PJrPq7-057i9lkeQiiJFJvyBUD1gmyh2yG8sKj2l31JIjPl4smHFcOmc4AYmLUXEeEVy~mTXuTRxr7igfbBqhjlb4XcBRJ7DpXCZYr4Hr92QdzuQLJFM5bB182hel9l9hlKVt1MiaZo88Yx8yxcefnnSxZZDL8VMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commerce City planning staff presented a proposed update to the city’s land development code on April 14, recommending new early public-review steps for subdivisions and master plans and changes to align local rules with several 2024 state housing and land-use laws.

The presentation, led by Heather Vidlock, planning manager, and Seung (Sam) Hahn, principal planner, summarized code changes meant to increase public input earlier in the development process and to implement state bills that affect occupancy rules, off-street parking near transit and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). “One of the key focuses for the land development code update is to add more public input to the development review process and also to add more clarity to our process for the development community,” Vidlock told the council and planning commissioners.

The most immediate procedural changes staff proposed are (1) allowing preliminary plats to go to Planning Commission and City Council so the public sees a subdivision layout before developers expend major engineering costs and (2) adding a master development plan option that would be reviewed by Planning Commission and Council. Staff said final plats and site-development plans would remain administrative if the preliminary-plat step has been completed.

Why it matters: Council members and commissioners said earlier review could give residents meaningful input before projects are finalized, but several raised concerns about how later changes would be handled and whether the city would still be able to alter uses once a limited use or conditional use has been approved.

Key state-driven changes staff said they would fold into the code update:
- HB24‑1007 (occupancy): staff recommended removing the long-standing local cap on unrelated adults (the code currently references a limit of three unrelated adults) and adopting occupancy standards tied to the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). The IPMC‑based approach would require a minimum bedroom size of 70 square feet and 50 square feet per occupant, rather than limits tied to family relationships. Vidlock said the goal is to ground occupancy limits in health-and-safety standards rather than household composition. Council members pressed staff on enforcement logistics, noting inspections and privacy limits make enforcement complaint-driven and often difficult.
- HB24‑1304 (parking near transit): staff described the state’s requirement that cities not impose minimum off-street parking for multifamily buildings within state-defined transit service areas. The state map applies quarter-mile buffers around qualifying transit stops (light rail stations and bus routes running at least every 30 minutes). Staff proposed setting the minimum parking requirement to zero in those transit service areas for multifamily projects while reserving the city’s option to require one space per unit for developments of 20 or more units or certain affordable projects, if the city publishes a written finding within 90 days that lack of a minimum would substantially harm pedestrian, bicycle or emergency access and that parking-management strategies would not mitigate those impacts.
- Accessory dwelling units (ADUs): in line with the state law staff proposed to allow ADUs where single‑family detached homes are allowed, require administrative (non‑hearing) approval for ADUs except in historic districts, prohibit owner-occupancy requirements in most cases, and eliminate local parking minimums for ADUs. Staff proposed size limits (75% of the primary dwelling or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less, with a baseline allowance of 400 square feet) and design controls to prevent ADUs from having the street-facing appearance of duplexes. Detached ADUs would be located behind primary homes and generally share drive access.
- Nonfunctional turf and invasive species: staff recommended adopting the state prohibition on nonfunctional turf and certain invasive plant species for commercial, institutional, industrial and common-interest community properties, while preserving turf for active recreation fields.
- HB24‑1313 (housing near transit / housing goals): staff introduced state requirements for cities to calculate housing goals based on developable land near transit stations and to zone appropriately to meet those goals. For Commerce City, staff said the 70th & Colorado light rail station is the applicable location and noted the many implementation questions — including how to coordinate with Adams County and the private property owner of a large adjacent parcel.

What council and commissioners asked: Elected officials pressed staff on: how limited-use permits running with the land (versus running with an owner) would affect future councils’ ability to change conditions; whether occupancy rules tied to bedroom sizes would be enforceable in practice; whether ADUs should require sprinklers; and where water, sewer and other utility capacity issues would be checked against increased density. Councilmember Oscar Madera and others cited neighborhood parking pressure and questioned the state’s transit definitions (for example, routes served only once per hour in parts of the city). Staff and the city manager said enforcement will be complaint-driven, that short‑term-rental rules would still limit guest counts (two per bedroom plus two), and that a follow‑up study session would examine utility and sprinkler implications.

Next steps: staff said the code update will be posted publicly and the project team will host public meetings May 15 and 22 (rec centers), provide an online draft in late May, hold a planning‑commission open house in June and return to council for further study sessions in June–July, with Planning Commission hearings in August and a council adoption hearing anticipated in September.

Ending: Planning staff repeatedly asked for council feedback on the proposed use-by/limited-use permit changes and the thresholds for ADUs and parking exemptions. Multiple council members asked staff to return with details on enforcement, utility capacity (water/sewer), and design standards for mixed‑use and higher‑density zoning before votes on code adoption.","Planning staff proposed code updates to add earlier public review steps, revise occupancy definitions to match state law, loosen some parking rules near transit and permit accessory dwelling units; council and planning commissioners asked for more detail on enforcement, water impacts and design standards.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Market study: Bison Grill expansion could grow annual food-and-beverage revenue; staff to seek bids and ramp marketing

Commerce City economic-development team says city captures strong sales tax but retail gaps remain on the north side

Commerce City staff outline land-development code changes to match 2024 state housing and land-use laws