Bennett's big small-town boom
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Bennett is becoming one of the metro area's newest hubs for growth. Photo: Robert Sanchez/Axios
A small town straddling the Arapahoe-Adams county border is becoming Colorado's latest growth test, as less expensive homes, open plains and aging infrastructure collide just beyond Aurora's edge.
Why it matters: Bennett is increasingly part of metro Denver's housing market as builders look east and buyers search for something they can afford.
By the numbers: Bennett's population has more than doubled over the past decade — to roughly 4,800 residents.
- Town manager Trish Stiles tells Axios that projections show Bennett could grow to 25,000–30,000 residents within about two decades.
What they're saying: "This is the last bit of frontier" Stiles says.
The big picture: Homebuilders including Oakwood Homes, KB Home and Lennar are putting up neighborhoods across Bennett.
- Streets wind through newly framed, still-empty houses.
- Wayfinder signs bearing builders' names under the town's "Welcome neighbors" catchphrase are popping up at intersections.
Bennett's attraction is largely its affordability — compared to much of metro Denver — along with its proximity to DIA, Buckley Space Force Base and the CU Anschutz medical campus.
- Lennar last week advertised a "move-in ready," 1,800-square-foot home for about $450,000.
- With light traffic, Bennett's about 25 minutes from the I-70/I-225 interchange.
Zoom out: The Eastern Plains town sits along I-70, about 25 miles east of Aurora.
- The Arapahoe County's Sheriff's Office provides the town's law enforcement.
- The county's also developing the 265-acre Kiowa Creek Open Space about 2 miles south of town, with an opening expected next fall.
Friction point: Arapahoe County Commissioner Jeff Baker tells Axios there have been discussions about commercial development south of I-70.
- But water availability and infrastructure will shape what growth the area can support.
Bennett's rural, 1950s-era I-70 bridges will also test whether old infrastructure can keep pace.
- Stiles said design work is complete for the bridge at Exit 304, but she estimates Bennett still needs roughly $25 million to build it.
The intrigue: The area could also find itself in the region's data center debate, as local governments pause new approvals to study the industry's impacts on water, energy and land use.
- Baker says Bennett's planning includes room for industrial uses, such as data centers.
The bottom line: Once a small plains town, Bennett's rural identity is already becoming the metro area's newest growth frontier. And its whipsaw transformation suggests those changes are only beginning.