ARVADA, CO -- On June 14th, City council members in Arvada, Colorado have rejected a proposal dubbed "Project Indiana," that would have seen an Amazon Distribution center erected next to a wildlife area and residential area.
The council members rejected the two proposals on the table. The first, to annex portions of the proposed site into the City of Arvada was defeated 5-2 with Mayor Marc Williams and council member Dot Miller voting in favor. The second proposal involved the rezoning of property which was defeated 6-1 with council member Miller being the only member voting in favor.
This proposal would have allowed a warehouse of over 100,000 square feet to be built, allowing for over 1,000 parking spots. Proponents of the plan cited that this distribution center was within the vision that the council has for Arvada and would contribute over 30 million dollars right away to the local economy and an additional $375,000 each year in taxes.
These positives claims were vastly outnumbered by the over 8,000 Arvada residents who openly expressed their displeasure with the plan by signing a petition. Arvada residents have claimed that they would much rather see a walkable storefront area run by local businesses and restaurants rather than a big-box distribution center.
While the distribution center would create jobs, many Arvada residents have questioned whether we really need more jobs created simply for the sake of creating jobs. Especially when many of the jobs created in this proposal would be low-paying delivery and warehouse jobs.
The council's rejection of this proposal shows that democracy is alive and well in Arvada, CO and it sends a signal that Arvadans are not going to take big business developments lying down. In the end, the city council listened to the voices of the people and prioritized their needs over the needs of Amazon.
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