Westminster planning commission recommends 122-unit senior housing project at Park Centre

Westminster’s Planning Commission voted 7-0 on June 9 to recommend approval of the land-use changes needed for Northridge at Park Centre, a proposed 122-unit independent senior-housing project at 1259 Park Centre.

The vote does not authorize construction. Instead, the commission recommended that City Council approve a comprehensive plan amendment and a preliminary development plan amendment for the 6.84-acre site, according to the June 9 planning packet. Those changes would redesignate the property from Employment-Flex to Suburban Multi-Family. A later official development plan review would still be required to evaluate detailed site and building design, the packet says.

The proposal’s next stop is City Council. Westminster’s public calendar shows the next regular council meeting is June 22, though the records reviewed for this story did not confirm whether the Northridge item is scheduled for that date.

In the planning packet, city staff said the shift away from office or flex uses reflects both market conditions and the city’s housing goals. Staff cited Westminster’s 2024 Economic Profile, which they said showed an 11.5% office vacancy rate, and the city’s 2023 Housing Needs Assessment, which they said identified an urgent need to expand senior housing options. Staff also said residents 65 and older are projected to make up about one in four Westminster residents by 2040.

Staff framed the request as part of a broader land-use adjustment for the edge of Park Centre, according to their analysis in the packet. They said underused employment land there is being reconsidered for housing that better matches market demand and the city’s aging population.

Traffic was one of the main issues commissioners asked about, especially around Zuni Street, West 122nd Avenue and Park Centre Drive. But staff told the commission the city’s traffic engineer concluded the proposed land-use change would not negatively affect the transportation system at this stage. The planning packet says the development would not require upgrades to adjacent roads.

The public record reviewed for this story showed little organized opposition at the planning commission stage. Staff said in the packet that a Feb. 11 neighborhood meeting drew two residents who were generally supportive. At the June 9 hearing, no one spoke during public comment, and staff said the city had received no emails or voicemails on the case.

In the packet, planners also said the parcel’s location on the western edge of the broader Park Centre area helps explain the requested change. They said the site has not attracted employers to the same extent as properties closer to West 120th Avenue or North Huron Street and is bordered by open space, institutional uses and existing housing, making senior housing a compatible transition use.

What remains unresolved is when City Council will take up the request and whether the project will face tougher scrutiny when more detailed design work returns at the official development plan stage. For now, the planning commission’s unanimous recommendation gives the proposal a procedural boost toward council review.