The focal point of the 1,839-acre master-planned community is the 942-acre Centricom-Colorado. When completed, it could have as much as 17.5 million sf, which real estate experts say in today's dollars would have a value of about $2.6 billion.

"We believe it would be the largest business park in the metro area," the developer's spokesman, Bill Kostka told GlobeSt.com. Other parks such as the Meridian International Business Park at the other end of the metro area have more acreage, but they also have golf courses, Kostka points out. An 18-hole, championship golf course also is planned at the Thornton development, but it would be separate from Centricom, he explains. The plan also calls for nearly 5,000 housing units, with mass appeal pricing from first-time homebuyers to executives.

The project is being built along E-470, a toll road that links much of the metro area to the Denver International Airport. "The proposed mixed-use project is important for the city because it helps secure Thornton's economic future in the E-470 corridor," says Mayor Noel Busck.