By Tim Craft, founder and CEO of Craft Companies
Colorado is entering a key period where notable dynamics are shaping development projects. Accelerating population growth, constrained land and water resources, shifting workplace dynamics, and a statewide affordability crisis, are all putting pressure on developers.
Traditional approaches to rural development are proving to be unsustainable. There is a growing need for new models that balance growth with building a community’s economic prosperity, tax revenue and longevity.
Over the past two decades, Craft Companies has worked across the Denver region to plan and build projects that keep all the above pressures in mind. Committed to creating desirable communities where people can thrive and grow for the long term, the company’s portfolio ranges from office repositionings downtown to industrial projects and mixed-use neighborhoods.
The firm’s projects have a commitment to contributing to health, function and resilience of the communities they serve. For example, two new mixed-use communities coming online in Elbert County—Crescence and Prominence—are master-planned rural residential developments that prioritize responsible land planning, efficient infrastructure and sustainable water usage. These critical development practices support quality of life and long-term county growth and revenue.
Prominence is planned as a conservation-minded community with over 50 percent of the development dedicated to open space in Elbert County. The new community will offer existing and future residents a range of commercial services, a community center, industrial uses, a school site, miles of trails, and numerous outdoor recreational opportunities.
Crescence will have homes and neighborhoods that showcase the natural beauty of the high prairie terrain located in Elbert County. Abundant native parks connected by trails, walkways, and bridges will connect neighborhoods and neighbors to nature.
Both projects are changing the game when it comes to rural residential living in a way that honors the land, brings much-needed commercial uses to the Denver suburbs, and provides a variety of housing product in a state where affordability is a challenge.
Rethinking Rural Growth
Elbert County attracts residents who are looking for a quieter way of life and more space. Residents are looking to live in a place that has local character, culture and traditions. Accommodating growth in this area, without sacrificing what makes the region distinct and overwhelming local resources, can be a major challenge.
Crescence and Prominence are both examples of projects that are designed with that exact balance in mind. For example, both communities are organized around clustered neighborhoods, which helps to preserve open space. Adding mixed-uses also allows for daily needs and jobs to be met closer to home.
This type of structure also helps reduce infrastructure, lowers environmental impact, and supports community interaction. When designing these communities, Craft listened to the land’s natural topography—which dictated everything from how stormwater naturally flows to wildlife consideration. Even the sightlines between homes originated organically. By allowing the land to guide the development, the communities feel more authentic but also save in long-term infrastructure and utilities costs.
Water and Environmental Stewardship
Water scarcity is one of Colorado’s biggest challenges, especially in rural areas that depend on groundwater. Both communities were designed around water-conscious planning principles that significantly reduce consumption.
On the eastern plains, underground aquifer reliance is high. At times when there is drought or overuse, it is even more important that future projects have responsible water strategies. Craft Companies’ development approach works, as proven by the company’s nearby sister community, Independence. The project features innovative reclaimed water system that reduces reliance on groundwater.
Crescence has also secured a state-approved, 300-year certified water supply, which is a first-of-its kind milestone in the State of Colorado. The plan leverages an approach to water sustainability by accessing deeper aquifers such as the Denver, Arapahoe and Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers, and then isolates the reserves from the shallower systems that supply local wells. Smart sourcing is only part of the equation. The other part is rethinking water usage at the property level, such as reducing irrigated turf, using drought-tolerant landscaping and implementing efficient irrigation.
That said, Crescence’s environmental stewardship extends beyond water. Transportation, stormwater, and utility systems are also designed to work with the land and support countywide planning goals, while also helping to reduce long-term resource demands.
Expanding Choice, Services, and Reinforcing Colorado’s Development Future
Housing affordability remains a major concern across Colorado. Although two projects can’t solve the crisis, those that are able to offer housing types that serve different incomes, household sizes and life stages, can help expand attainable housing options and meet the needs of both current and future residents.
These communities aren’t just for housing people. They breathe life into neighborhoods by weaving in commercial space directly into neighborhoods. This in turn reduces driving, increases foot traffic, supports environmental goals, creates jobs, and helps reshape how people use their neighborhoods.
As Craft Companies celebrates 20 years in business, the development firm’s work in the region will continue to evolve based on the needs of residents, employers and municipalities. What will stay the same is the company’s guiding principle. Meaningful development requires long-term vision.
While Crescence and Prominence are just two examples of that approach, if developers align their projects in this way, new rural housing communities can offer Colorado a way to grow and thrive economically—without sacrificing the qualities that make the state exceptional.
Tim Craft is founder and CEO of Denver-based Craft Companies, a sustainability-focused developer with long-standing local roots and a deep investment in the region’s infrastructure, people and institutions.
