Colorado Rail Park Gets Final OK

A project to develop a 620-acre rail-served industrial park in the greater Denver area has been granted final approval by the local government, paving the way for construction to begin in the fourth quarter.

Rocky Mountain Industrials said the Adams County Board of Commissioners had unanimously approved a final development plan for the Rocky Mountain Rail Park. Rocky Mountain Industrials said the approval marks the successful completion of a multiyear zoning and entitlement endeavor. 

The industrial park will be located just off Manila Road and Interstate 70, and it is adjacent to the Colorado Air and Space Port, formerly known as the Front Range Airport.

Buyers will be able to start building in the park next spring. Companies that could use the industrial park include those involved in shipping bulk materials, resins, chemicals, fuels and food-grade products.

The park will have access to unit and manifest trains on the Union Pacific Corporation UNP. Transloading services may also be available, and the industrial park will be able to handle dry and wet bulk materials handling and logistics, according to a Union Pacific brochure.

An aerial view of the site for the Rock Mountain Rail Park. (Photo: Cushman & Wakefield)

"Our Rocky Mountain Rail Park will play a leading role in the future of the region's industrial supply chain," Rocky Mountain Industrials CEO Gregory Dangler said. "We are fulfilling a market need that has been building for the last few decades."

Aaron Valdez, Alec Rhodes and Tyler Smith of Cushman & Wakefield are providing brokerage services for the new park, the company said.

"This is the most exciting industrial transportation project we have seen in years," Valdez said. "Denver desperately needs more rail-served industrial sites that allow companies to offload bulk products for manufacturing or distribution. The Rail Park uniquely offers the heaviest industrial zoning including use-by-right entitlements with ample outdoor storage."

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Joanna Marsh.

Related articles:

Union Pacific eyes highway-to-rail conversion opportunities

Butler Intermodal Terminal seeks Midwest customers

Operational changes helped railcars move faster, says Union Pacific report