The need for affordable housing near employers also is playing a larger role, he said, and communities outside the county are beginning to recognize that. Prairie Center in Brighton, for instance, will mix residential units with a business park inside its 1,400 acres. The number of parks and centers has increased as more technology companies have eyed the Denver-Boulder corridor to set up shop. Business parks typically contain multiple buildings and large square footage for several companies, as well as outdoor amenities such as trails and landscaping. Corporate centers, on a smaller scale, usually contain a series of buildings.
Tech companies are some of the most sensitive companies to consolidation and growth.
Business parks have also become a recruiting tool, Gibbons said, providing landscaped properties, access to trails and a sophisticated, unified architectural look, she said. Broomfield's Great Western Park, for instance, will feature walking trails and open space. Interlocken hosts a variety of trails and ball fields as well as lavish landscaping. Not just Interlocken Although Broomfield is best known for Interlocken, it is quietly laying the foundation for similar concepts. Between Interlocken and Westmoor stands several buildings that make up their own corporate centers.