Vance Brand Airport's southwest side has more than 40 acres available for development or expansion, according to the City of Longmont, and that kind of airside-adjacent land suits owners who want hangars, aviation-service shops, light assembly or equipment storage on one parcel. We build those buildings with the apron concrete, door openings and utility capacity that the tenant needs, and we confirm the airport's height, access and use limits with the city before the building concept is final. The city-owned field has a single concrete runway (11/29) measuring 4,800 by 75 feet, which tells us the typical aircraft and ground equipment loads to design around.
Longmont's industrial base reaches well beyond the airport. The city's 2020 annual comprehensive financial report, as summarized in public references, lists St. Vrain Valley Schools (3,543 employees), the City of Longmont (1,625), Seagate Technology (1,430), Intrado (755) and Longmont United Hospital (671) among the largest employers. A mix of public, technology and health employers produces demand for controlled, power-dense and secure space, and we build to those needs under the same project controls we use on plants.
Highways and the north metro approach
U.S. 287, Main Street, runs through the center of Longmont, 16 miles north to Loveland and 34 miles south to downtown Denver, and State Highway 119 passes south of downtown, 15 miles southwest to Boulder and 5 miles east to I-25. Those distances matter to an owner who is comparing sites: a Longmont building can serve Loveland and Boulder customers by road without crossing the metro core, and a plant here is a short drive from I-25.
We use those distances in planning. For a delivery-heavy tenant, we estimate truck cycle times from the site to the main customer sites and arrange the dock count and staging area accordingly. For a manufacturing tenant, we plan inbound deliveries of steel, equipment and finished materials on State Highway 119 and U.S. 287 so that construction traffic stays off local streets.
Technology and electronics employers such as the data-storage manufacturer on the city's employer list are served by our advanced manufacturing work: clean slab finishes, utility interconnects with documented capacity, and commissioning of mechanical and electrical systems before production equipment moves in. We hold the owner's equipment vendors to the same submittal and tolerance schedule as the contracted trades, so floor flatness, pad elevations and conduit stubs are inspected before the equipment is set.
Services that suit campus-scale technical buildings
Campus-style and airport-adjacent sites need a broader range of services than a simple warehouse: light manufacturing and flex industrial shells, heavy haul access roads for equipment and wide loads, and yard lighting and electrical site work for security and operations. We package them into a single scope to avoid gaps between trades.
For secure areas, we coordinate fencing, access control and cameras with the tenant's security consultant, and we stub conduits for systems to be installed later. Every conduit is labeled and mapped on the as-built drawings, so the owner's technicians can pull cable without trial and error.
Building near an operating airfield
Cranes, lifts and tall equipment near an airport raise questions that do not arise elsewhere. We check the airport's height limitations before planning a crane pick, notify the airport manager when crane work is scheduled and use lights or flags where required. Work on the apron or taxi areas requires coordination with the airport operator so aircraft movements are not blocked.
We also manage foreign object debris on a site near an active runway, with sweeping, covered loads and a clean haul route. These controls are written into the site safety plan and reviewed with the superintendent before work starts, and every subcontractor receives the same briefing.
2021 IBC with the 2024 cycle expected in 2026
The Home Builders Association of Metro Denver tracker dated January 20, 2026 lists Longmont as enforcing the 2021 IBC, with adoption of the 2024 I-Codes expected April 1, 2026. Because the tracker is a trade source and the date is an expectation, we confirm the effective edition with the building division before the permit submission and write the confirmed edition into the proposal.
We also ask how the city treats applications that are in review when a new edition takes effect. The difference between 2021 and 2024 can alter fire separations, egress and energy-envelope design, and a project that spans a transition can be affected twice. Our industrial design-build process keeps the architect, engineer and builder in one contract, so a code change is absorbed through one change-control log.
Campus expansions and the land next door
AstraZeneca announced on October 10, 2016 that it paid $64.5 million for 159 acres of vacant land just west of Amgen's Longmont campus to support its Boulder operations. That announcement is several years old, but it illustrates how life science users plan: buy land adjacent to an existing campus, then build as demand and capital permit. We support that pattern with phased master planning, utilities sized for the full build-out and pad-ready sites that can accept a building without reworking the infrastructure.
Owners considering Loveland or Firestone for a similar phased plan can use the same master-plan approach there. The schedule typically covers site utilities first, then the shell, then process or lab fit-out, with commissioning and turnover as a separate package that the owner's quality group reviews.
Send the parcel and the program
Send the parcel number, the intended use and your timeline. We will return an airport-compatibility check, a site and utility scope, and a phased plan for the building.
Common Questions
What can be built on the land at Vance Brand Airport?
The City of Longmont says more than 40 acres on the southwest side of the airport are available for development or expansion. Typical uses are hangars, aviation-service shops and light industrial space, subject to the airport's rules, height limits and lease terms, which we confirm with the city first.
Do you work near an operating airfield?
Yes. We check height limits before crane work, coordinate with the airport manager, keep the runway area clear of debris and write those controls into the safety plan.
Which code does Longmont enforce?
A January 20, 2026 tracker from the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver lists the 2021 IBC, with the 2024 I-Codes expected April 1, 2026. We confirm with the building division and the project proposal states the edition used.
Can you phase a campus next to an existing facility?
Yes. We size utilities for the full build-out, rough in the pads and build the first building within the existing operation's safety and access rules.
How do you plan routes for heavy loads in Longmont?
We use U.S. 287 and State Highway 119, check permits for oversize loads and schedule deliveries to avoid local street traffic. The routing plan is attached to the site safety plan.
What documents do you provide when a building is turned over?
A turnover package with submittals, test and balance reports, electrical test records, warranty letters, as-built drawings and a change-control log that explains each deviation from the permit set. Your facilities team signs a checklist against it before we close out.