Arapahoe County to review proposed rezoning maps for four transit-area communities

Arapahoe County’s Planning Commission is scheduled to review proposed rezoning maps Aug. 18 for the Federal Enclave, Dry Creek, Four Square Mile and Belleview areas. The study session will not include a rezoning vote or recommendation, according to the Planning Commission agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Lima Plaza Campus in Centennial.

The maps are part of the county’s effort to meet housing-capacity requirements under Colorado’s HB 24-1313, which requires transit-oriented communities to plan for additional housing capacity near qualifying transit areas. The law generally calculates a local government’s housing opportunity goal by multiplying mapped transit-area acreage by 40 dwelling units per acre.

The county’s latest presentation proposes these changes:

• Federal Enclave: 39 parcels would be proposed for Mixed Use, with potential capacity of at least 566 units. Another 73 parcels would be proposed for Residential-Multi-Family zoning, with potential capacity of no more than 650 units. Two parcels near Federal Boulevard were shifted from Mixed Use after property-owner feedback about a proposed 35-unit-per-acre minimum along Girard Avenue.
• Dry Creek/Inverness: 44 parcels near the Dry Creek light-rail station would be proposed for Mixed Use. The presentation estimates capacity of 20,125 units using 100 units per acre, following direction from the Board of County Commissioners in July. The Villas at Vallagio and Vallagio at Inverness condominium developments are excluded from the proposed rezoning, the staff report says.
• Four Square Mile: 96 parcels would be proposed for Mixed Use and 370 for Residential-Multi-Family zoning, with an estimated capacity of 8,506 units. The proposed areas include portions of corridors along Parker Road, East Iliff Avenue, South Quebec Street and South Syracuse Way.
• Belleview: Five parcels north of Belleview Avenue, west of Interstate 25 and east of South Quebec Street would be proposed for a change from Planned Unit Development to Mixed Use. The presentation lists a 75-foot maximum height, a 35-unit-per-acre minimum and a minimum yield of 188 units on 5.377 acres.

The figures are estimates of zoning capacity, not guarantees that the units will be built. The county staff report gives different figures for some areas: 46 Dry Creek parcels and at least 6,951 units based on an earlier 35-unit-per-acre calculation; about 8,680 Four Square Mile units; and 4.394 Belleview acres with a required minimum of 154 units. The record does not explain all of the discrepancies between the staff report and the later presentation.

Public feedback

County survey and meeting summaries show varying levels of support and recurring concerns about traffic, parking, infrastructure, building height and neighborhood character.

At a February Federal Enclave open house, 21 people attended and 15 completed surveys. The county reported that 69% were supportive or neutral and 31% were not supportive. Written comments raised concerns about traffic, parking, blocked views, noise, crime and neighborhood character. Respondents who supported additional density generally preferred townhomes and duplexes over apartment buildings, according to the Federal Enclave feedback summary.

Dry Creek drew about 35 people to a May open house, nearly all residents of the Vallagio developments. The county reported that 32% were supportive or neutral and 68% were not supportive. In a separate survey, 118 of 180 respondents opposed or strongly opposed the proposal, compared with 35 who supported or strongly supported it and 22 who were neutral or undecided. Traffic, parking, water infrastructure and crime were among the leading concerns, the county’s summary said.

Four Square Mile had a more favorable survey record. A June 25 community meeting drew about 50 to 60 people, and an online survey received 14 responses. The county reported that 92% of respondents were supportive or neutral and 7% were not supportive. Respondents most often preferred mixed-use housing above shops, townhomes or rowhouses, and “missing-middle” housing. Concerns included traffic, noise, parking, utility infrastructure, neighborhood character and building height, according to the Four Square Mile feedback summary.

Three property owners asked the county to consider adding parcels near South Willow Street and Colorado Avenue, including one request involving 9430 E. Colorado Ave., the staff report says. Staff was still evaluating those requests. A second Four Square Mile community meeting was scheduled for Aug. 26 to present a revised map.

The county’s prior planning report describes the broader HB 24-1313 process as including transit-center identification, housing-capacity calculations and an administrative approval process for qualifying multifamily projects.

Staff planned to revise and evaluate the maps, seek referrals from water and sanitation districts, homeowners associations and metro districts, and obtain Planning Commission feedback before advancing the proposal to a public hearing planned for Oct. 20. A Board of County Commissioners hearing was planned for Nov. 24. The presentation says the county must complete the rezoning work by Dec. 31, 2026, but the records do not establish what action either future hearing will produce or whether the schedule will change.

For now, the four maps remain proposals. The Aug. 18 session is the next documented opportunity for public discussion and Planning Commission feedback, not the point at which the county will formally rezone the properties.