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Belle Creek highlighted for 'walkability'

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Contributed by: Joseph Kirchmer/YourHub.com on 11/25/2008

Though it's one of Adam County's newest neighborhoods, Belle Creek in Commerce City was recently celebrated for its more old-fashioned aspects.

More than 100 urban planners, traffic engineers and city officials from across the state gathered Nov. 20 in the master-planned community for an all-day workshop on traffic calming -the art of building neighborhoods in a fashion that compels drivers to slow down.

Belle Creek is a great example of how communities can be built to encourage drivers to slow down while promoting residents to get outside and walk, said Carol Maclennan, environmental health policy coordinator for the Tri-County Health Department.

The Health Department teamed with Commerce City for the program, which was led by Dan Burden, a nationally recognized authority on bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs. The design of Belle Creek, located off Highway 85 north of East 104th Avenue, features narrower roads which forces drivers to slow down, nearby businesses and recreation centers to encourage residents to walk more often, he said.

Many of the homes in the community are pushed up closer to the sidewalks to provide more intimacy with the neighborhood. Garages are located in the back as opposed to the front, a design model which harkens backs to the 1950s, he said.

The mixed-use design featured throughout much of Belle Creek is considered to be ahead of the curve in a city often renowned for traffic congestion, railroad stops and smokestacks.

"The city does have some traffic constraints," Maclennan said. "But I also think there's great potential in Commerce City and I think the city is really working hard to realize that potential. The city has really done so much to promote healthy and active living."

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