After nearly a decade of negotiation, the City of Thornton and Adams 12 Five Star Schools have agreed on a deal to move the district's transportation facility.

The deal will help pave the way for future development along a prime stretch of land off near Interstate 25 and 144th Avenue. City council unanimously approved the plan, or so-called intergovernmental agreement, last week.

"This has been a long time coming," said councilwoman Rebecca Cavanaugh-Miller. "I think this is a win-win for the school district, for the city of Thornton, and most of all, for our citizens."

Under the agreement, Adams 12 will moves its bus facility to the City of Thornton's transportation facility on city-owned land at East 126th Avenue and Lafayette Street. The district's transportation headquarters currently is located at I-25 and 144th Avenue.

The city wants to develop the land at 144th Avenue and I-25 to help aid future growth. Sales and property tax revenues from the development, which is dubbed the North Washington Subarea Plan, will help sustain the city's budget for years to come, according to city officials.

Thornton will pay Adams 12 approximately $7.2 million for the land.

Not everyone, however, is ecstatic about the development. Residents of the Hunters Glen and Eastlake neighborhoods voiced concerns at a Sept. 3 community meeting over the traffic congestion and pollution that will result from the bus facility moving closer to their backyards.