This fall, the City of Aurora will begin a major overhaul of the Westerly Creek waterfront at Stanley Marketplace. The creek will be moved west toward Beeler St. and new landscaping will encourage pedestrians to “enjoy the ambience of the creek.”

Neighbors and patrons of Stanley Marketplace in Northwest Aurora will soon start to see the transformation of the Westerly Creek area and fields just west of the marketplace. This fall, Aurora Water and Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space will begin construction on a multi-million dollar project that is designed to improve stormwater management, enhance water quality, and increase connectivity of walking and biking trails in the vicinity.

Clint Weisz, capital projects manager with Aurora Water, said the scope of work has grown substantially in recent years. Originally the plan was to build a small water quality pond on less than an acre. “Since then, the project has evolved into something much bigger and will be a much greater asset to the community,” says Weisz.

Clint Weisz, with Aurora Water, and Nicole Ankeny, with Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space, stand near the existing channel for Westerly Creek. Construction will begin this fall to move the creek further west. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

Currently, the creek is a straight, industrial-looking ditch that flows along the west side of the marketplace. Weisz says the creek will be moved further west—across the field—toward Beeler St. “The channel will be reconstructed as a more natural-looking and natural-behaving channel. It will have curves in it and more grasses in it. It will be a healthier channel from a nature standpoint.”

One of the biggest innovations won’t be visible to the public. There will be an underground structure that will pull down debris—such as cans, bottles, and plastic bags—that is often found in urban waterways. The debris will be held in an underground tank, and water operations staff will regularly clean it out so that the garbage doesn’t travel downstream. Natural grasses will also help filter out toxins in the water.

In addition, the new channel will be better able to handle surges of stormwater runoff. “Any sort of rain that enters into the storm sewer system will be directed to this area,” says Weisz. “Anything from a small trickle up to larger events. It will all run through there.”

The second major goal of the project is to build more bridges and trails for bicyclists and pedestrians. Nicole Ankeny, manager of parks planning, design, and construction for the City of Aurora, calls it a “win-win project” since it will enable planners to extend the trail system and fill in gaps in the existing pathways where Aurora meets Denver. “There’s going to be a lot more connectivity,” says Ankeny.

Ally Fredeen, general manager of Stanley Marketplace, is excited about the project and says the enhanced trails will make it easier for people to leave their cars at home when visiting the stores and restaurants at the Stanley. “Stretching across Montview and bringing the neighborhood together through these new trails is going to be wonderful. It will encourage more walking and biking. I think people will feel like there’s a safer way to get around than on the streets, so it will be nice for families as well as the new apartment dwellers in the area.”

A rendering showing how the new path for Westerly Creek will meander in a more natural-looking pattern past the new apartment buildings and Stanley Marketplace before rejoining the creek in its existing location. (The current path of Westerly Creek is denoted by the red line).

Stanley Marketplace owns much of the land that will be reconstructed and has been an active partner in the planning. Because the land is a flood plain, buildings or parking structures cannot be built on it, but Fredeen says the open space area will be enhanced for the kinds of events that the marketplace has offered for years: festivals, concerts, sporting events, puppy yoga, and much more. “There will be steps where people can sit and hang out. It will be more of a space where you want to spend time, where you will really be able to enjoy the ambience of the creek,” says Fredeen.

The project has been in the works for many years, and is currently in the permitting phase. Ankeney says it’s been a complicated process involving many entities and partners. “We cross a lot of different parcels of land throughout this project but we’re trying to ensure that all of those partners are on the same page and that we’re meeting all of the different requirements and needs of those project partners.”

An aerial view showing how the redeveloped Westerly Creek waterfront will include several new biking and walking paths.

Another complication is trying to have as little disruption as possible for the Village Farms at Stanley. For the past four years, the social enterprise has used part of the Stanley fields to provide job training and space for immigrants to grow crops. Weisz says the goal is to get much of the large-scale grading done between October 2024 and May 2025 so that the farm’s growing season won’t be impacted.

Overall completion of the Westerly Creek Project isn’t expected until the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026. But Fredeen is confident that it’s all going to be worth the wait and she says the project fits right in with Stanley Marketplace’s mission statement. “In our Stanifesto, we talk about bringing people together and connecting communities. And I think what this project will do is continue that mission beyond Stanley Marketplace and we look forward to seeing it take shape.”

Illustrations courtesy of the City of Aurora