Gaylord Rockies Resort and Conference Center, with ample space to grow in northeast Aurora, will begin expanding — a move indicative of the city of Aurora’s future.

Unlike Denver, which is locked in by suburbs on all sides, Aurora has the world to its east, with much of the land in the area, near Denver International Airport and Gaylord Rockies, undeveloped with growth potential.

Gaylord Rockies, billed as a “beacon on the plains” west of DIA, plans to expand through 2024: adding new dining, enhancements to the Grand Lodge and a new event pavilion, according to a Gaylord Rockies news release.

Suzy Hart, the resort’s general manager, expressed excitement for the upcoming expansion.

“You rarely see this amount of growth in a resort property,” Hart said. “We just completed a major exterior enhancement in April and now we’re ready to give guests the interior experience of their dreams.”

Aurora city councilmember Curtis Gardner said the expansion will benefit the city of Aurora as a whole, since northeast Aurora is growing “rapidly.”

“Northeast Aurora is going to be a destination for commercial and industrial, especially with some of the things happening at the Gaylord for entertainment and hospitality,” Gardner said. “I think nothing but good things are going to come of that.”

As Aurora expands and grows, Gaylord Rockies’ expansion is an example of the kind of development that will benefit the city overall, Gardner said, especially as thousands of homes start to go up in the area.

The expansion comes just five years after the resort and convention center opened and are part of a multi-year investment plan by Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., which owns the center.

Colorado and the City of Aurora will pay Ryman more than $1.3 billion in the next 23 years via tax rebates and economic incentives, according to records obtained by the Denver Gazette via Colorado’s Open Records act.

The 1,501-room resort — the state’s largest — was completed by a joint venture that included Houston-based RIDA Development Corp., in 2018.  Gaylord sports more than 486,000 square feet of meeting space on 85 acres, 8.5 miles southwest of Denver International Airport off E-470.

Those tax rebates include from: state and city sales, incremental property tax from Adams County, use, lodger’s, and an occupational privilege tax, according to Aurora’s 2021 Schedule of Tax Collections document.

Phase one of Ryman’s expansion investment included redesigning the outdoor lawn spaces and adding dining terraces.

Phase two adds new bars and restaurants to the Grand Lodge, according to the release.

In Spring 2024, Embers Lodge Bar and The Fortunate Prospector will open followed by two current restaurants re-opening with new names and concepts.

The new event pavilion, Mountain View Pavilion, will cover 12,118 square feet of indoor event space, over 14,000 square feet of outdoor terraces and patios, and 15,000 square feet of turfed lawn areas.

The event space will open to guests in 2024, the release said.