Fort Collins - Colorado's own version of Tomorrowland is moving through the planning process in Fort Collins.

With seed money of about $30 million, developer Lloyd Goff and his investment partners hope to transform 50 city blocks on the north side of town into a $1 billion research campus similar to Los Alamos, N.M., and a mixed-use village with housing for 12,000.

The crown jewel of the development would be a guided transport system a la Disneyland.

"Fort Collins has a strong residential market already," Goff said. "Where they are weak is in the commercial offerings. Pair that with the high intellectual capacity of Fort Collins, and this is the perfect time for a development like this."

Goff would like the research campus to focus on reducing America's dependence on foreign oil. Proposed areas of next-generation infrastructure research include transport, robotics, conservation, renewable energy, water recycling and automation.

"The Department of Energy predicts it will take several trillions of dollars to find alternatives to foreign oil," Goff said. "If this development captures even a fraction of the money, it will have a major economic impact on the community of Fort Collins."

Goff estimates that the completed project will generate $16 million in annual revenues and nearly $2 million just in property taxes within the 150 acres in Airpark Village.

"If it is completed as planned, this will be a substantial project for the city," said Pete Wray, senior planner with the City of Fort Collins. "This type of development could serve as a focal point for growth along the Mulberry corridor."

Mulberry Street runs along the northernmost border of the city and is primarily industrial. For the purposes of this project, the corridor was rezoned as an employment district.

The new zoning designation allows for more than 5 million square feet of mixed uses, including residential, office, hotel, retail, labs, restaurants, medical, clubs, industrial and other commercial uses.

To maximize the space, Goff's housing plans focus on vertical options such as townhouses that have ground-floor commercial with residential units above.

"We want to stack up housing instead of spreading it out like you see in a lot of typical developments," he said.

The initial plans for the development show "multiple mixed uses all snuggled up next to one main road," he said. "Envision everything built on one linear corridor about the length from Broadway (in Denver) to the railroad tracks beyond Union Station."

House hunters who visit Airpark Village's web page will feel as though they are being recruited for a bold new mission.

"We're building a community for the new creative class," Goff said. "Scientists, teachers and others in the research infrastructure need a collaborative environment. It's not like the old days when a guy invented the telephone by himself in a back shop."

In addition to the scientific community, Goff expects the development to attract baby boomers who want to keep learning. He is exploring the possibility of assisted-living facilities that include recreation and entertainment areas, food service and access to the public transportation system. Retirees would also have access to some of the most up-to-date research facilities available.

Perhaps the most innovative amenity will be the guided transport system. A group of former Disney engineers who built the original monorails at Disneyland and Disney World have designed a simple system that would be integrated into the Airpark Village development.

"The plan is to prove the system's effectiveness and sell it as a model of how well automation can work," Goff said. "Ultimately this type of transport could serve as a backbone of transport that could go anywhere."

Although Goff has been in talks with the city for more than two years, his vision is still a ways from reality.

Airpark Village developers have completed the purchase of the 150-acre Community Airpark and are slowly moving through the planning process.

"We recognize the need for industrial uses in this area," Wray said. "But this type of development would create a whole different kind of hub for the city."