Aurora planning board recommends South Gun Club zoning package after flooding objections

Aurora’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted June 10 to recommend three annexation-related zoning cases near South Gun Club Road and Alameda Avenue to City Council, after residents renewed objections about flooding and runoff near Thunderbird Estates.

The commission voted 6-0 on each item. The recommendation covers about 20.49 acres proposed for mixed-use regional zoning at 16121 South Gun Club Road, about 10 acres proposed for mixed-use regional zoning at 222 South Gun Club Road and about 35.7 acres proposed for R-3 zoning at the northeast corner of South Gun Club Road and Alameda Avenue, according to the commission’s June 10 meeting record.

The June 10 hearing advanced the package procedurally, but it did not approve a site plan, drainage design or construction schedule. Staff and the applicant told commissioners that engineering, drainage, floodplain, traffic and utility issues would be addressed later through annexation, site-plan and development review.

During the hearing, staff also clarified that the 8B parcel is about 10 acres, correcting an earlier 20.49-acre figure. Staff said Arapahoe County asked that an existing 40-foot Alameda right-of-way and 60-foot buffer remain under county jurisdiction, and that the annexation boundaries were adjusted so that area was not included.

That means the commission’s action focused on the proposed land-use framework — two mixed-use regional designations and one medium-density residential designation — rather than on the engineering disputes raised by neighbors.

Flooding remained the central objection. Cindy Hall of Thunderbird Estates told commissioners that runoff problems are ongoing and warned that future grading could send more water onto her property. Staff said during the hearing that parts of the area are in or near the 100-year floodplain and that future development would still require floodplain permits, no-rise analysis and drainage review.

Traffic and utilities were also raised but not resolved at this stage. Staff and the applicant said Aurora’s transportation planning anticipates future widening of South Gun Club Road and Alameda Avenue, along with a future signal at the intersection. The hearing record indicates that utility service questions would also be addressed during annexation and later development review, rather than in the zoning vote.

No City Council hearing date appeared in the public record reviewed for this story before publication. The commission record says only that the items will proceed to City Council following the recommendation.

The public record reviewed for this story also does not show any new formal opposition filing by neighbors or county officials after the commission vote. It does show continued opposition at the hearing itself, including written comments and testimony about drainage, flood risk, density, traffic and neighborhood compatibility.

The next political step is City Council review. Whether any eventual development can address runoff, floodplain constraints, access and service questions remains unresolved until later review stages.