City of Northglenn :: Official site for the City of Northglenn

northglenn urban renewal authority (NURA)

What Is NURA?

The Northglenn Urban Renewal Authority (NURA) is a special purpose governmental entity, which was created by the Northglenn City Council in 1990. NURA's primary purpose is to improve the City's economy by eliminating blight, assisting private development and redevelopment projects, and to plan and build public and public-related improvements as necessary to achieve those goals. NURA is governed by a Board of Commissioners consisting of seven Commissioners and two Advisors appointed by the Mayor with the approval of City Council. The NURA Board, Mayor, and City Council work together to achieve the goals of the City. NURA staff consists of City staff working for NURA in addition to their regular duties. NURA's staff includes the City Manager as Executive Director, the City Finance Director as Treasurer, and the City Attorney as NURA's Attorney. Other City staff members provide services as needed.

Where Does NURA Work?

NURA projects occur within a defined area called the Urban Renewal Area, which is comprised of the Northglenn Marketplace and surrounding commercial areas, the Southeast Quadrant of 120th Avenue and I-25, Washington Point Shopping Center, Malley Heights Shopping Center, and Garland Shopping Center. NURA contributes a significant amount of its tax increment revenue to the City, which has helped fund projuects such as the redevelopment of the former Northglenn Mall to the Marketplace at Northglenn, in addition to various other capital improvement projects.

What Has NURA Accomplished?

Following decline of the former Northglenn Mall in the late 1980s, the City created NURA in 1990 to deal with economic and physical blight. Examples of NURA's accomplishments include: paying for public and public-related impovements needed to assist redevelopment of the former Northglenn Mall into the Marketplace at Northglenn; 104th Avenue widening which included turn lane extensions; I-25 & 104th Avenue entryway landscaping improvements; 104th Avenue median improvements; 104th Avenue slope paving installation; 104th Avenue traffic signal improvements; Melody Drive Reconstruction; intersection improvements at Melody Drive and Kennedy Drive; 106th Avenue pavement and landscaping improvements, intersection improvements at Malley Drive & Washington Street as well as 112th Avenue and Washington Street.

Where Does NURA Get Its Money?

NURA cannot and does not levy taxes. NURA projects are funded by property tax increment financing, meaning that the increase in property tax revenue within the Urban Renewal Area, over and above the base year (1990 or 2004, depending on where the area is located), goes to NURA. All other taxing districts still get their revenues based on their mill levy and base year valuations. Only the incremental property tax revenue increases, created mainly by NURA improvements, go to NURA. These revenues are used to make further improvements, which are intended increase tax revenue even more. Since the redevelopment of the Northglenn Mall, sales tax revenue to the City of Northglenn from the Marketplace at Northglenn has increased from $1.7 million in 1991 to $5.3 million in 2004.