A small-town feel with big ambitions
LAFAYETTE — When Katey McNeil in January took the reins at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce from Vicki Trumbo, who retired after more than 34 years in the post, she inherited a critical role in a south Boulder County city that strives to grow while still maintaining a small-town feel.
The “bee huts” at Capella Ranch aren’t the only things humming in Lafayette. Steered by a comprehensive plan that will help guide the city’s evolution through 2040, Lafayette remains committed to cementing its reputation as a honey of an affordable alternative.
Lafayette boasts a variety of single-family neighborhoods surrounded by parks, along with a Hale Irwin-designed public golf course.
Its efforts to lure businesses from more expensive nearby venues also are paying off.
Medtronic, a medical-device maker with operations in Louisville and Boulder’s Gunbarrel neighborhood, consolidated its local business into 400,000 square feet of new office and laboratory space spread across two five-story buildings on a 42-acre tract in southern Lafayette.
Medtronic, a medical device company, consolidated its local business into 400,000 square feet of new office and laboratory space.”
Another transplant to Lafayette was Gracon LLC, which builds and maintains the nation’s dams and hydroelectric power plants. Gracon moved its headquarters to Lafayette from Loveland in 2018.
The town’s main street, South Public Road, is lined with locally owned shops and restaurants, and plays host to annual festivals including the Quaker Oatmeal Festival, the Summer Fun Fest, Peach Fest, Brew Fest and Home for the Holidays. Lafayette held a Juneteenth celebration for the first time in 2022 and designated all of June as Pride Month.
Its WOW! Children’s Museum provides a fun respite for families, and the new $5.5 million Lafayette Nature Center held a grand opening June 15.
Ride Free Lafayette, a free door-to-door bus service, was launched in 2020. The city also created an active transportation map to illustrate bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout the city.
Boulder Community Health’s Community Medical Center offers extensive health care services in the city, and the sprawling, full-service Good Samaritan Hospital, owned by Intermountain Health, has generated more development around it.
Class A office space often sought after by companies is available throughout the city, including at the Creekside Offices at Old Laramie Trail. On the east side of the city, Vista Business Park has space for industrial and flex office buildings. Lafayette’s 119-acre Corporate Campus office park is home to some of its most well-known employers, from Kaiser Permanente to Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Offices of Epsilon, Horizon Discovery Group, Insight Photonic Solutions and Composite Technology Development Inc. also are located in the city.
Blue Canyon Technologies Inc., a Lafayette-based small satellite manufacturer and space mission service provider, was selected to build a spacecraft bus for the Canadian Space Agency and Honeywell International Inc.’s Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite mission.