The transformation of a former international airport into a thriving residential community is among the most complex challenges in large-scale construction and environmental remediation. For nearly two decades, Earth Services & Abatement (ESA) has been a constant presence on the Stapleton Redevelopment Project near Denver, Colorado, completing successive phases of demolition, asbestos abatement, and soil remediation. This 16-year undertaking demonstrates how Key Facts About Construction Project Life Cycle Phases can span decades when environmental cleanup, regulatory compliance, and community development converge on a single site. Understanding the operational strategies and regulatory frameworks behind this project offers valuable lessons for contractors and project managers engaged in long-duration demolition and remediation work.
The Stapleton Redevelopment: From Airport to Community
Site History and Scale
The 4,700-acre site that became the Stapleton Redevelopment Project was originally home to the Stapleton International Airport, which opened in 1919. In 1929, it was renamed Denver International Airport and served the region for decades. As Denver grew, city officials determined that the airport could no longer accommodate expanding traffic and passenger demands. They made the decision to close the Stapleton airport and relocate operations to a new site approximately 15 miles east.
Following the closure of the Stapleton International Airport in 1995, the Stapleton Foundation published the Stapleton Redevelopment Plan, commonly referred to as the Green Book. Approved by the Denver City Council, this plan called for the establishment of jobs, open recreational spaces, and a new mixed-use neighborhood on the former airport grounds. What followed was one of the largest urban redevelopment initiatives in the United States.
Key Players and Project Management
Greg Holt, director of transportation systems at Denver International Airport and program manager for the Stapleton Redevelopment Project, has been involved since the project began. With over 35 years of service with the City and County of Denver, Holt worked as chief airport operations manager at Stapleton before its closure and has since coordinated the complex redevelopment effort. His role involves working with multiple stakeholders and agencies to ensure the redevelopment meets all regulatory goals and stays on schedule.
Earth Services & Abatement (ESA) of Commerce City, Colorado, has been the primary abatement and remediation contractor on the site. The company first went under contract at Stapleton in the late 1990s, initially as an interior asbestos abatement firm. Over the course of the project, ESA transformed into a full turnkey environmental cleanup and soil remediation contractor, adapting its capabilities to meet the evolving demands of the site.
Demolition and Remediation Scope
Numbers That Define the Project
The scale of demolition and remediation at Stapleton is remarkable by any standard. To date, the project has involved some of the largest numbers in the industry:
- Over 120 buildings demolished across the former airport site
- 50 separate site remediation projects completed or in progress
- More than 200 million tons of concrete and asphalt recycled
- Over 1 million cubic yards of landfill and contaminated soil remediated
- Demolition of major bridge structures for runways, taxiways, and crossings over creeks and a main line railroad
ESA’s Expanding Role
ESA has performed a significant portion of this work, with a particular focus on abatement and soil remediation. The company has completed the abatement and demolition of the Sand Creek Bridges, multiple hangars, and the former control tower. According to Kory Mitchell, president of ESA, when the company first went under contract at Stapleton in the 1990s, no one knew how much contamination would be encountered. As landfill cleanups and soil remediation work progressed, the contract value exceeded $30 million.
The project became a catalyst for ESA’s transformation from an interior asbestos abatement company into a comprehensive environmental services firm. Mitchell noted that the company now earns more than half of its revenue from heavy equipment work, which is unusual for the abatement industry. ESA operates as an asbestos abatement firm in 33 states, but Colorado is the only state where the firm currently performs large-scale soil remediation work, a direct outcome of the Stapleton experience.
Regulatory Framework: The Stapleton Numeric Criteria
Establishing an Environmental Standard
One of the most critical factors in the success of the Stapleton remediation effort was the establishment of a consistent environmental standard early in the project. The Stapleton Numeric Criteria (SNC) was developed and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Colorado, the City and County of Denver, and later by the project’s insurance company. This standard provided a uniform benchmark for contamination levels across all phases of the project, eliminating ambiguity and ensuring that all stakeholders were working toward the same cleanup targets.
The SNC standard guided the remediation of numerous challenges on the site:
- Airport-related soil contamination from jet fuel and deicing fluid, which required specialized treatment and disposal protocols
- Old landfill remediations, including sections of an old High Line Canal lateral that crisscrossed the Stapleton site
- Asbestos abatement across hundreds of structures, from hangars to the airport control tower
- Mixed waste streams requiring coordinated handling of hazardous and non-hazardous materials
Final Phase: Highline Canal Landfill Remediation
As of the latest reporting, ESA is completing the last major landfill remediation on the Highline Canal, Phase II portion of the project. This area contains approximately 45,000 cubic yards of landfill material from a 1960s-era landfill site. Concurrently, ESA is working on the former control tower abatement to make way for a new attraction at the redevelopment site. These final phases represent the culmination of years of coordinated effort between ESA, Holt’s program management team, and multiple regulatory agencies.
Lessons for Long-Duration Demolition and Remediation Projects
Key Takeaways for Contractors
The Stapleton Redevelopment Project offers several important lessons for construction and demolition professionals undertaking long-term environmental remediation work. The following table summarizes the key operational strategies that contributed to the project’s success:
| Strategy | Application at Stapleton | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Early standard setting | Stapleton Numeric Criteria approved by EPA, state, and city before work began | Consistent remediation targets across all phases and contractors |
| In-house capabilities | ESA performed all abatement and remediation work with internal crews | Quality control, schedule flexibility, and reduced subcontractor coordination |
| Phased approach | Multiple successive phases over 16 years rather than one massive effort | Managed cash flow, allowed operational learning, and adapted to changing conditions |
| Stakeholder collaboration | Ongoing coordination between city, state, EPA, insurance, and contractors | Regulatory alignment and faster approval cycles |
| Equipment evolution | ESA shifted from labor-intensive abatement to heavy equipment operations | Higher revenue per project, expanded service offerings, competitive differentiation |
Planning for the Long Term
Projects of this scale require realistic timelines. Holt noted that the project continues to require two to three additional years before all land transfers are complete, with six to ten years before the site is fully developed. This long horizon demands that contractors maintain financial stability, invest in equipment, and develop workforce continuity strategies. ESA’s ability to remain on-site from 2006 to the present, evolving its service model along the way, is a testament to the value of long-term thinking.
Contractors approaching similar large-scale remediation projects should also invest in robust Construction Project Scheduling Methods Tools and Best Practices for On Time Project Delivery to manage the multi-year timelines typical of airport-to-community conversions. The transition from demolition through remediation to final land transfer demands careful sequencing that the Final Check and Punch List a Homeowners guide to closing out a construction project does not fully capture, because the handoff here is not a single building but an entire community built on remediated land.
The Community Outcome
Despite the complexity and duration of the work, the transformation of the former airport site is already home to more than 20,000 residents. Mitchell described the project as significant not only for ESA’s growth but for the community it helped create. The methods employed at Stapleton, from Building Demolition and Implosion Mechanical Demolition Methods Explosive Implosion and Debris Management to soil remediation and asbestos abatement, demonstrate how demolition and environmental cleanup can lay the groundwork for vibrant, sustainable urban communities.
Mitchell summed up the experience by noting that ESA was fortunate to be one of the first cleanup contractors on the Stapleton site in the late 1990s and is likely to be the last to leave. Over nearly 20 years, the project shaped a small, family-owned firm into one of the most significant environmental contractors in the Rocky Mountain region. For contractors bidding on long-duration remediation projects, the Stapleton story illustrates both the challenges and the transformative opportunities that such work can bring.