Article Contributed on: 7/17/2007 4:15:46 PM
As of July 2, the City of Thornton is using the 2006 International Codes to review all building plans, including the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, International Energy Conservation Code, and International Fuel Gas Code. Adopting the 2006 codes keeps the City current with the most up-to-date building codes. It also takes new materials into consideration. "One of the biggest changes is in the energy efficiency building element," said Plans Examining Supervisor
Jim Bilyeu. "The 2006 codes include energy efficient building options that make it simpler to process energy efficient construction plans."
The City now recognizes 2006 fire and building codes and the 2005 National Electrical Code. If you have questions on the 2006 International Codes visit www.iccsafe.org. For questions on building plans and inspection on your project in the City of Thornton, contact the Building Inspection office at 303-538-7250.
Planning, Engineering and Business Development Customer Service At Building Inspections and Permits Counter this Summer.
(Published 07/04/07)
Part of the City Development facilities are under construction this summer. Planning, Zoning and Development Engineering questions will be taken at the Building Inspections and Permits counter located at the east entrance of the Civic Center building. This is also where you can reach Business Development staff.
Crews are enlarging two of the City Development conference rooms to accommodate larger meetings and reconfiguring current space to be more customer-friendly. Many of the conference rooms are also being updated with overhead projectors and internet access so that developers, engineers, architects, landscape designers and City staff can project plans and maps onto a screen and discuss together.
Construction workers demo City Development space.
To see larger image double click on image.
New Businesses at Larkridge Retail Center in Thornton
(Published 07/10/07)
This spring several new shops opened at Larkridge including Gunther Toody's, Designs of the Interior, Larkridge Family Dentistry and Summit Bank and Trust. Chick-fil-A will be joining these businesses soon.
We opened at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 27 and have been rockin and rolling ever since, stated general manager Jim Wright. It was raining terribly on opening day, but that didn't stop Gunther Toodys wait staff from flashing their smiles and welcoming people to the 50s style diner with a friendly 1950's phrase like Whats up Buttercup?. The family-friendly restaurant harkens back to a time when going to the local diner for a hamburger and a vanilla or cherry Coke was the rage. If you're in the mood for some good old-fashioned food or just a walk down memory lane Gunther Toodys is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. www.gunthertoodys.com.
Designs of the Interior, Thornton's newest interior design store, is situated in the Larkridge Pedestrian Village. By just visiting the store, one can get several new ideas and learn the latest trends from the world of home furnishings and design through checking out the vignettes throughout the store. Expert interior designers can also help shoppers select and order the perfect fabric for draperies or furniture from the vast collection of fabrics hanging along the wall. Designs of the Interior is proud of it's broad selection of unique merchandise from all over the world. www.doti.com
In June, Larkridge Family Dentistry started accepting patients. Owner and dentist Dr. Tara Carroll is devoted to providing positive early dental experiences for young patients. "We want people to feel so comfortable we have even created a kiddie corner, so parents don't have to worry about finding child care to go to the dentist," said Dr. Carroll. This family-oriented practice also offers a comfort menu which includes neck pillows, blankets, and TVs with headphones in treatment area for watching movies. Dr. Tara Carroll received her dental training at the University of Colorado, graduating magna cum laude. www.larkridgefamilydentistry.com/
Summit Bank and Trust also opened for business in June. Summit Bank and Trust is a community banking operation majority-owned by Heartland Financial USA, Inc., a publicly traded company. Our affiliation with Heartland Financial USA allows us to provide the small bank touch with the financial punch of a big bank," stated John P. Carmichael, president and CEO of Summit Bank and Trust. Summit Bank and Trust aims to be primarily a small- to middle-market commercial bank that also focuses on wealth management. The bank provides full trust operations, private banking and investment services, along with business services such as lines of credit, SBA loans, construction and operating loans, remote deposit and cash management. www.summitbt.com/
Larkridge is located at I-25 and Highway 7 at Thornton's northern gateway. To see a site map of the regional retail center or learn more about all the stores and restaurants in Larkridge visit www.shoplarkridge.com.
HighPointe Park Moves Forward in Thornton.
(Published 07/10/07)
Earthmovers will begin grating the future site of HighPointe Park, Thornton's unique mixed use development project.
HighPointe Park is a planned development that will provide a town center, several restaurants and retail buildings surrounding 200 multi-family residential units. The development is designed to allow residents in the area to walk to a coffee shop, mail a letter and pick up dry cleaning without having to get in a car. HighPointe Park will offer considerable commercial contributions to those who work or live near the site, located east of Sams Club on Grant Street and west of Safeway on Washington Street. The property is bordered by Thornton Parkway to the south and 98th Avenue to the north.
The official ground breaking of the site is scheduled for August 22, 2007. The developer, Armstrong Development Properties, hopes to have some retail businesses opening by the end of 2007.
Sales and Use Tax Seminar
(Published 07/06/07)
Businesses with questions on Thornton's sales and use tax are encouraged to attend a seminar on July 26th. At this seminar, the City's Sales Tax staff will review which items are taxable and which are exempt, the difference between sales and use tax, how to calculate tax and determine which party should be submitting the tax, and preparing the tax return. "This is a great opportunity for businesses with questions to come and work with our staff to figure out the best solution for the business," said Rachel Quintana, Tax Audit Supervisor. "It's a great way to solve challenges before they become a problem."
The seminar will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 26th and run approximately an hour and a half. It is a free seminar. To reserve your space contact the Sales Tax office at 303-538-7400.
TIM Study Helps Identify Industries for Thornton to Target
(Published 07/10/07)
What future businesses will come to Thornton? The City of Thornton Business Development staff are pursuing many possibilities based on findings from Thornton's Targeted Industry Marketing study. The Targeted Industry Marketing Study (TIM), released in February 2007, indicated that Thornton has the ability to attract companies in the health care, professional, technical and scientific sectors. In the past four months since this report was released, Business Development staff have made connections and pursued leads in these areas.
In March, Business Development Director Robert Smith presented at a membership meeting of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado (ACEC). This was an opportunity to speak directly with engineers and engineering companies about Thornton.
Business Development Research Analyst Cory Buckman has established a relationship with the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance and attended the Colorado Nanotechnology conference. Speakers and attendees discussed what economic, educational and demographic shifts are needed to promote nanotechnology in Colorado.
As an event sponsor, Thornton Business Development reached out to site selectors at the CoreNET Global spring conference. CoreNet is the worlds largest association of corporate real estate executives. More than 3,000 corporate real estate professionals many responsible for developing facilities and managing business assets for Fortune 1,000 companies converged on Denver the first week in May for this conference.
Cory Buckman, Thorntons Business Development Research Analyst, attended the Colorado Business Incubation Association Spring Conference to learn how incubators are assisting entrepreneurs in their business startup initiatives and how such organizations are bringing new investment to communities all throughout the United States. Currently, the National Business Incubation Association estimates that there are 1,500 business incubators in the United States, many of which are in Colorado.
As a result of TIM findings, Business Development has increased their involvement in the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) association. NAIOP is the nation's leading trade association for developers, owners, investors, asset managers and other professionals in industrial, office and mixed-use commercial real estate. This association provides access to more than 14,500 members in office properties industry, as well as information on trends, economic viability and needs of the built environment.
Staff have also become more involved in regional economic efforts through regional organizations. This year, Business Development staff attended the 2007 CU Real Estate Council Annual Conference in Denver and are participating in coordination of the Adams County Business Accelerator, a business resource summit for those who want to start a business in Adams County.
The City of Thornton's business retention efforts have shifted to employers and outreach associated with TIM industries. In the past, the City's business retention efforts consisted primary of drop-in visits with local retailers. Since TIM has placed a stronger emphasis on industries with a potential large employment base, staff are now hosting get-to-know-you meetings with the top employers currently in Thornton in an effort to discover what issues are important to their business success. "These personal meetings have been great to share information and receive valuable feedback," states Nicole Jeffers, Business Marketing Coordinator.
The health care sector came up strong in the TIM study for its desirability and probability of being attracted to Thornton. As such, City of Thornton Business Development staff have been pursuing leads and developing site selection materials for health care companies and their representatives like Shueman, Kaiser, and Core Commercial Real Estate which focuses on finding sites for ancillary medical office buildings.
Kaplan Launches First Virtual Classes in the State for Real Estate Licensing
(Published 07/10/07)
Kaplan, the world leader in test preparation, is launching the first virtual real estate licensing program in the state, to help students qualify to sit for the Colorado real estate broker licensing exam. This provides a second option for potential real estate brokers, who can now participate in a class at the Kaplan College facility in Thornton.
The virtual classes can be accessed online from anywhere, at any time. For those who enjoy working online, the interactive, visually appealing features of the course will engage students in the learning experience, says Evan Mellman, Regional Director for Colorado. For those who prefer to be in a classroom setting, Kaplan still offers the class in this fashion.
For more than 45 years, Kaplan Professional Schools Colorado has offered exam preparation for graduate school tests such as the GRE, GMAT and LSAT as well as professional certification training. Kaplan College and Kaplan Professional, located in the North Valley Tech Center at I-25 and 84th Avenue at the Southern Gateway in Thornton, also offers two associate degree programs and five certificate programs including massage therapy, general practice paralegal, criminal justice, medical assistant, pharmacy technician, medical office specialist and paralegal studies.
For further information, please visit www.kaplanprofessionalschools.com or call 1-800-577-7585.
Connecting at the International Council for Shopping Centers Conference
(Published 07/10/07)
City Development staff met with a variety of retail developers at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) conference this past May. ICSC is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its 65,000 members in the U.S., Canada and more than 80 other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders, retailers and other professionals as well as academics and public officials. Attending "the spring conference is a great way to make connections and introduce new developers to Thornton's strengths," stated Thornton's Business Development Director Robert Smith. As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world.
What's Happening at 104th and Colorado in Thornton?
(Published 07/10/07)
A lot of building is happening at 104th and Colorado, diagonally across from Colorado Marketplace. This will be the future home of a Chase Bank, Walgreens and Carl's Jr.
The City of Thornton City Development department tracks current business and residential development throughout the City. For a current projects map, showing proposed approved and active projects, map visit www.cityofthornton.net/business/06_publications_maps.asp. For a list of proposed, approved and active projects visit www.cityofthornton.net/comd/currentproject1.asp. For general information on construction projects and what businesses are coming to a retail center or professional office, visit www.cityofthornton.net/business/03_comm_const_projects.asp.
Public Comment on RTD FasTracks Proposed Rail Station Locations in Thornton
(Published 07/10/07)
The RTD FasTracks North Metro will be holding public meetings to analyze station option concepts for FasTrack stops on the corridor that runs through Commerce City, Thornton, Northglenn and unincorporated Adams County. There are six station locations in or near the City of Thornton and several design concepts of these stations.
There will be two meetings: On Tuesday, July 31 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Adams City High School, 4625 East 68th Avenue, Commerce City for stations serving the Commerce City area. On Wednesday, August 1 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Margaret W. Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Boulevard, Thornton for stations serving the Thornton area.
RTD and their Consultant URS have developed design concepts from comments and ideas by the public over the course of the last year. Close to a hundred concepts were developed then refined down to the most appropriate. People are encouraged to view the concepts at the meetings and suggest ideas or modifications. RTD will consider these comments when making further refinements and include the comments in the final report.
The RTD FasTracks North Metro is a high-capacity fixed-guideway transit corridor of the integrated, multi-modal program which will connect people throughout metro Denver. The entire system will operate as an integrated network of the final transit technologies that are determined through the environmental process on each corridor. The North Metro corridor will run between Denver Union Station (DUS) and the 162nd Avenue area, passing through North Denver, Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton, and unincorporated Adams County.
Since August 2006, RTD project team has been analyzing the North Metro Corridor alternatives and examining transit alternatives. Based on technical review as well as agency and public input, the project team is moving forward with commuter rail transit technology alternatives, primarily using the existing railroad right-of-way (Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific).
For more information about RTD FasTracks call (303) 299-2000 or visit www.rtdnorthmetro.com.
To provide written comments, please email comments to comments@rtdnorthmetro.com.
To request accommodations at the community meeting for hearing impairments call (303) 313-9488 or email comments@rtdnorthmetro.com.
Kudos to Physical Therapist at Brookside Physical Therapy in Thornton
(Published 07/10/07)
Steve Rath, one of five athletic trainers on staff at Brookside Physical Therapy and Head Trainer at Horizon High School, was recognized during an on-court ceremony at the March 17th Nuggets game for heading an exemplary high school athletic training program. Each year the Denver Nuggets and Kroenke Sports Charities recognize Colorado high schools for their outstanding athletic training programs. Horizon High School shared the top award this year with Elizabeth High School. As part of the awards program, Horizon received $2,000 to help support the athletic training at the school.
CONTACT US:
To send articles, make comments or provide other input for Thornton's Business Briefs, please send an e-Mail to business@cityofthornton.net
To submit story ideas, please be sure to include a daytime phone number where we can reach you. All information sent is subject to verification and the City of Thornton reserves the right to edit and/or exclude any suggested business news item.
Additional information and photos are available on our web site at: http://www.cityofthornton.net/business
Business Development Office
City of Thornton
303.538.7605