Prospects brightening for Adams County seat
BRIGHTON — Folks in Brighton can’t decide what’s more exciting.
Is it the opportunities for outdoor recreation, the parade of new industry choosing to locate at metro Denver’s northeastern gateway, or the push to update and enliven the downtown area?
Or is it the culmination of a 10-year quest to bring an Olive Garden restaurant to town, its alfredo sauce and breadsticks lured by a $315,000 incentive package?
Whichever it is, Brighton benefits nearly as much from what it’s near as what it has and what it plans.
Brighton’s close proximity to Denver International Airport makes it an attractive target for new business, its residents live close enough to enjoy Barr Lake State Park and many of the urban advantages Denver has to offer. But despite its ranking as one of Colorado’s fastest-growing communities and its proximity to the state capital, Brighton has made an effort to distance itself from the “suburb” label, focusing in recent years on setting design standards, strengthening environmental initiatives and channeling commercial growth to specific neighborhoods.
Brighton’s close proximity to Denver International Airport makes it an attractive target for new business.”
Brighton, whose northern edge sits firmly in Weld County, is home to manufacturing facilities for Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world leader in wind energy, which unveiled the longest wind turbine blades ever produced in the United States..
In May, the Brighton City Council voted to extend an incentives agreement with Amprius Technologies Inc. of Fremont, California, until June 1, 2025. The plant, slated for a former Kmart distribution center, was previously due to open in June 2024 and manufacture lithium-ion cells in a 775,000-square-foot facility on East Bromley Lane.
Georgia-based supply-chain logistics company Broadrange Logistics LLC has entered into a long-term lease on the remaining two buildings of the 76 Commerce Center totaling 1.13 million square feet.
The Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, founded in 1955, opened a visitor center in 2020 and works to promote the city as an agritourism destination.
Since its incorporation in 1887 as a farming community with a population of 175 and a depot for trains and stagecoaches, Brighton has hardly stopped expanding; in fact, it has more than doubled its population since the 2000 census.
The opening of the Prairie Center created opportunity for retailers and consumers alike, and the Pavilions Shopping Center brought more stores downtown, as well as a 12-screen movieplex.
Keeping up with the growth is a new $155 million water-treatment plant consisting of organic carbon removal, greensand filters for removing manganese and turbidity, chemical storage, pumping and more.
Health care also has enhanced the city’s economy. Brighton’s $138 million Platte Valley Medical Center has been cited as one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures.
The Brighton City Council in February voted 7-2 to allow recreational marijuana shops for the first time, although the city still prohibits cultivation and manufacturing businesses.
A new and unusual Veterans Memorial was added to the expanded Riverdale Regional Park; it’s a replica of the USS Colorado that juts out of the park’s Mann-Nyholt Lake.