COMMERCE CITY – In continuing plans to improve the Derby area, the City Council adopted the first reading of a Derby urban renewal plan Jan. 5 that will aid property owners and the city in redevelopment efforts.

    Following state law, a study of Derby determined that areas of the neighborhood meet several factors of blight, including deteriorated structures and sites; unsanitary or unsafe conditions, inadequate public improvements or utilities; and unsafe or unhealthy buildings.

    The council adopted these findings, the first step toward adoption of the Derby Urban Renewal Area plan. Adoption of these findings does not mean that all properties in Derby are blighted; it means only that blight exists within the defined area. The area is primarily between state Highway 2, East 72nd Avenue and Magnolia Street, but also includes several parcels of land east of Magnolia Street.

    “Derby Redevelopment has been a council objective for quite some time,” Mayor Paul Natale said. “This urban renewal plan is a significant tool that we can use to not only improve the public safety but also to attract retail and revitalize the area similar to what has been done in Olde Town Arvada and LoDo.”

    With the plan, “We are on the road to making Derby a wonderful meeting place for the entire city,” Natale said.

    The purpose of the Derby URA plan is to eliminate blight conditions and provide for redevelopment and rehabilitation. The plan serves as a long-range guide to development by reinforcing the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Derby Planned Unit Development and Derby guidelines. The plan also provides a funding mechanism for improvements that can include property and/or sales taxes.

    The URA plan includes projects and powers such as land acquisition; relocation; demolition, clearance and site preparation; property management; public improvements; land disposition, redevelopment and rehabilitation; cooperative agreements; and other activities deemed necessary by the Derby Urban Renewal Authority.