E‑470 signs ground‑lease with Apple Green to convert toll plazas into service plazas

E‑470 announced a ground-lease agreement with Apple Green to redevelop surplus toll-plaza property into service plazas that will include fuel/EV charging, convenience retail and restaurants. Joe Donahue, E‑470’s executive director, said the first plaza will open in Parker within weeks and additional sites are planned near the airport and in Aurora.

Donahue listed restaurants under contract for the plazas, saying they will include national brands and noting the Parker location will serve the southbound side initially. "They're basically gas stations where you get EV charging. They're gonna have restaurants, Starbucks, convenience store," Donahue said. He told commissioners Apple Green is committing roughly $70,000,000 to the project while E‑470 invested approximately $10,000,000 in demolition and site remediation; E‑470 expects modest annual ground-lease revenue once operations mature.