JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Sarah Cowan and her son enjoy going out to Hyatt Lake to watch the wildlife.
“The amount of wildlife that's over here, it's cool. The hawks and the birds and the fish and, yes, Walter the little river otter that lives here,” said Cowan.
However, a group of neighbors near the lake is concerned that this peaceful oasis could change due to an upcoming development.
The Golden Technology Center is a proposed 500,000 square-foot warehouse and office space that would be built near 60th Avenue and McIntyre Street on the site of several former mining research labs. Records show the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversaw a multi-million dollar cleanup on the site in the late 1990s. However, neighbors worry that digging up the land could release harmful toxins.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) determined there was no risk when the development was proposed in 2022.
“We knew that this site was contaminated, and we're very concerned that there is not going to be appropriate cautions taken when this 40-acre site with radioactive contamination, residual, carcinogenic toxic waste is going to be disturbed in order to build a large industrial development,” said Anne Laffoon, who lives just a few feet from the property.
To make sure they’re heard, residents formed a coalition called McIntyre Neighbors United.
“When I heard about what was happening, I knew I had to get involved because it's just going to have a huge effect on our whole community,” said resident Julie Glassmeyer.
The group has spent the past two years going over thousands of pages of documents and consulting with environmental experts as a result of the proposed development. Based on their findings, they disagree with the state and believe there’s still a risk.
“We would like to see testing done on this site, especially the areas that are going to be excavated that could be contaminated with radioactive waste. We want those areas to be tested before they're excavated and then used as fill across this entire site,” said Laffoon.
McIntyre Neighbors United is going in front of the Jefferson County Board of Adjustment on Wednesday during a hearing about possibly rerouting the Farmers’ Highline Canal as part of the project.
“This is the very first hearing that we'll have to discover exactly what the problems are, exactly what is being planned, and to voice our concerns and our request for a reasonable accommodation to us, which would be more testing before they dig,” said Laffoon.
The group told Denver7 it’s the least county officials could do to protect the place they call home.
“This is, it's stunning, and this will get ruined,” said Cowan.
In a statement, a spokesperson said Jefferson County "collaborates closely with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess when it is appropriate to develop a property, which they have done with this particular site." The spokesperson went on to say, "The project is subject to a CDPHE-approved Materials Management Plan and Environmental Use Restrictions to ensure safety during construction and site use."
- Read the full statement below
"Jefferson County collaborates closely with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess when it is appropriate to develop a property, which they have done with this particular site. After extensive environmental cleanups and further investigations, CDPHE determined that there is no environmental reason not to develop this property. The project is subject to a CDPHE-approved Materials Management Plan and Environmental Use Restrictions to ensure safety during construction and site use. The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Division approved the grading permit for this site which is being appealed on Wednesday to the Board of Adjustment. The site development plan for this property remains under review."
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