About SEBP

The Southeast Business Partnership (SEBP) grew out of the success of the former Southeast Denver/Douglas County Economic Development Council (SEDC) that was formed in the early 1980s. By the mid-1990s, the amount of office space had grown to 27 million square feet in the southeast I-25 corridor. Over 6,000 companies had located in the area. There were more hotel rooms developed than in downtown Denver. Retail was expanding rapidly due to the demand created by the huge expansion of Highlands Ranch residential community as well as other residential development in both Arapahoe and Douglas Counties.

By January 1998, a survey conducted on 75 companies in the corridor found the three most significant concerns that would possibly impede their future grow were:

Transportation (the mobility of employees to get to and from work)
Workforce Development (the continued development of an educated workforce)
Housing (for all levels of the workforce, especially those earning less than $20/hour)

The Southeast Business Partnership was created to take responsibility to help fix the problems of growth that the former SEDC had been successful in creating.

The SEBP officially became a partnership on July 1, 1998. By the end of 2001 it had achieved the following accomplishments.

In workforce development:

Was chosen by Vice President Gore as a member of his national 13-member committee on workforce development in 1999.
Helped create and became a board member of the University Center at Chaparral. A coalition of the Douglas County School District, the SEBP, the University of Denver, Arapahoe Community College and the University of Colorado – Denver, which became the southeast Denver’s first higher education institution, and the first to be created in a non-jurisdictional location in the State. This became possible only after the coalition lobbied with the State Legislature and received a $4.2 million grant to build its first class room building.

In Primary Housing:

Developed design standards for both single and multi-family housing to ensure the quality of developments the Partnership was willing to support. Arapahoe and Douglas Counties began to use these standards in their evaluations of new housing development.
Over 2000 housing units, that fit the SEBP criteria, affordable to wage earners making $10.00 - $20.00 per hour, were constructed in the area.
Created an employer assisted housing program to assist first time homebuyers and help renters with their security deposits, plus additional benefits.
Encouraged and assisted Douglas County in implementing their first Public Housing Authority.

Transportation:

Through the combined efforts of the SEBP and the S.E. Transportation Advocacy Committee brought in over $400,000,000 from DRCOG’s federal funds into the southeast area for transportation improvements to major arterials and intersections off of the Interstate system.
Through the combined efforts of the Advocacy Committee and the S.E Corridor Mobility Coalition, created in 1999, for the purpose of hiring a Washington lobbyist, to assist in coordinating the process of funding thru federal departments and the U.S. Congress, attained a $525,000,000 full funding grant agreement from the Federal Transit Authority and the Department of Transportation, for the light rail portion of the TREX multi-modal $1.6 Billion I-25/I-225 improvement project. Combined with (a.) above brought in over $2 Billion of improvements to the Edge City area.
Raised over $1 Million from Partnership members to fund several election campaigns instrumental in getting the TREX project approved.

Passage of the “TRANS” and “METRO MOVES” ballot initiatives in year 1999 to allow both the State and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) to bond finance capital transportation projects. The “METRO-MOVES” ballot issue also allowed the RTD to extend its Tabor exemption (retaining surplus sale tax) for an additional 20 years.
Defeat of Amendment #21 ballot initiative in year 2000. This initiative would have reduced property and sales taxes $25 per year/per taxpayer, compounded. It would have put many special districts (schools, fire, recreation, library, water and sewer) out of business in three to ten years. Members of the U.S. Congress let it be known that if voters in Colorado where only interested in reducing their taxes the Federal Government was not going to help fund their transportation projects. The full funding grant agreement for TREX was approved two weeks after Amendment #21 was defeated.

Today, the Southeast Business Partnership is committed to building upon the organization’s legacy through visionary economic development leadership, civic involvement and positive business advocacy in a non-partisan and collaborative manner to continuously improve the region’s economy and high quality living standard.