Parcels beside a remediated federal site need a records review before they need a design, and the land around the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Commerce City is where we start every project that way. We ask for the environmental history, any recorded land-use restrictions and the groundwater information before we draw a footprint, because those documents set what can be excavated, where water may need handling and what the lender and insurer will want to see.
The history is public. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was built in 1942 on 17,000 acres in Commerce City, listed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in 1987, and cleaned up for $2.1 billion with surface work finishing in 2010 and groundwater treatment continuing. The Army will permanently manage about 1,000 acres of the former arsenal containing landfills, waste consolidation areas and groundwater treatment facilities. We do not interpret those documents for owners, and we do not assume that a neighboring parcel is clean or contaminated. We coordinate with the owner's environmental consultant and convert their findings into earthwork limits, disposal categories and a safety plan.
The area is also open space and industry. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge covers 15,988 acres, was formally opened April 2, 2004, and has its only entrance in Commerce City. The nearby Suncor refinery in Commerce City, formed from two former refineries on either side of Brighton Boulevard, has a capacity of 98,000 barrels per day. A builder here works next to a refuge, a refinery and a federal cleanup boundary, and has to keep each neighbor's rules in mind.
Documents we ask for before design
Before we price a building we ask the seller or owner for the Phase 1 and any Phase 2 environmental reports, recorded land-use restrictions or covenants, geotechnical data, groundwater information and any agency correspondence. If a document does not exist, we say so in the estimate and carry an allowance for what the missing information might reveal.
We read the documents against the proposed construction. A building with deep footings, a below-grade pit or a dewatered excavation touches the ground differently than a slab-on-grade warehouse, and the difference can change both the design and the regulatory path.
Neighbors and corridors
The land around the refuge has attracted logistics, heavy trucking and industrial users that value highway and rail access without being in the middle of Denver. The routes into the area are the same ones that serve Commerce City: I-76, I-270, E-470 and the U.S. routes, and the airport is close by.
For owners comparing the area with the airport area, we look at the travel time to the customers, the utility availability and the history of each parcel. A cheaper parcel with a complicated history can cost more than an expensive parcel with a clean one.
Working beside restricted areas
We keep construction inside the property line, mark boundaries clearly and brief every worker on where the owner's parcel ends and any restricted or managed land begins. Equipment is never parked or staged on land the owner does not control.
If the work involves excavation, our plan includes procedures for finding unexpected conditions: stop work, notify the owner and consultant, secure the area and wait for direction. The workers know these steps before the first excavation.
Earthwork, slabs and buildings built for the conditions
On sites with a complicated history we favor shallow foundations and slab-on-grade designs where the structure allows, with a soil management plan that keeps excavated material on site when the consultant approves. Stormwater detention and drainage are designed so that water does not pond near the building or flow toward neighbors.
A warehouse or a pre-engineered metal building suits many of these parcels. The frame is light, the foundations are modest, and the building can be built quickly once the ground is cleared.
What we place on these parcels
We manage the earthwork, utilities and concrete that begin a project: stripping, fill placement with compaction testing, footings, slab-on-grade, dock aprons and truck courts. Managing these items closely gives the owner direct control over the quality and the schedule when the ground is the main uncertainty.
We document the work. Compaction results, subgrade approvals, concrete tickets and survey as-builts are collected in the turnover package, and if the consultant needs to confirm that clean fill or imported material met their requirements, the records are there.
Where the numbers move
The largest uncertainties are soil disposal, dewatering and any special foundation requirement. We price a base scope and carry unit prices for the uncertain quantities, so the owner can see the exposure by item instead of one lump sum. We also price the cost of waiting: how many weeks of regulatory approval or laboratory results the schedule can absorb.
The regulatory work itself is a cost. Our permitting and entitlements coordination tracks every submittal, comment and approval, so the owner knows what is outstanding and what it is costing.
Sequencing to the approvals
We start with approvals, survey, geotechnical work and utility locates, then release earthwork once the environmental plan is accepted. Foundations and the shell follow. Yard work such as stabilized laydown yards is often scheduled early to give the owner usable space while the building proceeds.
Weather windows matter. Grading and paving are scheduled for the seasons that suit them, and we protect the exposed subgrade from rain and snowmelt so that the earthwork is not redone.
Send the environmental reports with the site plan
Send the environmental reports, the survey and the proposed building. We will return an earthwork and building scope with unit prices for the uncertain items.
Common Questions
What should an owner request from the seller of a parcel near the arsenal?
Ask for environmental reports, any recorded land-use restrictions, geotechnical data, groundwater information and any agency correspondence. Give them to your environmental consultant and to us. We convert what they say into construction limits.
Does building near a federal cleanup site change the permit?
It can change what the agencies, lenders and insurers ask for, and it can affect excavation and dewatering. Your consultant and the city will tell you what applies. We schedule the approvals in the master plan.
Is a slab-on-grade building always the right choice?
Often, but not always. It depends on the load, the soil and the equipment. We compare foundation types in the estimate.
How do you handle an unexpected condition in the excavation?
We stop work in the area, secure it, notify the owner and consultant, and wait for direction. Our procedures and the notification chain are written into the safety plan and reviewed with the crew.
Can you build next to a refinery?
Yes. We follow the owner's and the neighbor's rules for access and hot work, and we coordinate any restrictions on the use of the shared roads. The site safety plan covers these issues.