Hilltop Neighborhood Association Zoning and Transportation Committee Update
March 10, 2024
Greetings from the Zoning and Transportation Committee. We heard from the recent neighborhood association survey results that our community is interested in keeping up to date with issues that may impact our neighborhood, whether directly or indirectly. There are a lot of initiatives our committee is tracking including the following:
Development:
Accessory Dwelling Units; proposed projects in Hilltop, and proposed legislative changes by the City of Denver and State of Colorado.
VA Redevelopment at 9th & Clermont
Cherry Creek West
Clayton Lane (formerly Sears)
50 South Steele
Transportation:
Denver Moves Cherry Creek
Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Colorado Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Speer/Leetsdale/1st Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Following is information on a few key initiatives:
Accessory Dwelling Units; proposed projects in Hilltop: The T&Z committee is seeing some uptick in requests for reviews, but not a significant number. The Association’s position is that we do not at this time support a rezoning of the Hilltop Neighborhood to allow ADU’s by right, and that individual ADU rezoning requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions about an ADU you may be considering, please contact the T&Z committee at info@denverhilltop.com
Accessory Dwelling Units; proposed legislative changes by the City of Denver: City Council District 5 is proposing to change zoning at multiple addresses currently in single-unit residential zone districts in the Hale neighborhood. The zoning requested would allow single-unit residential and accessory dwelling units at all proposed locations without requiring a rezoning process. While the language advertising this proposed change specifically states “Hale”, the actual area of impact includes Hilltop north of Sixth Avenue. The Denver Planning Board and the Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the proposal and City Council will vote on this change at a Council meeting to be announced at a future date. For more information visit: Legislation - City and County of Denver (denvergov.org)
Accessory Dwelling Units; proposed legislative changes by the State of Colorado: The high-density housing bill (SB 23-213) from the 2023 legislative session, which was defeated at the eleventh hour, is back but separated into three bills. More information on the three bills can be found through the following links:
HB 24-1007 Elimination of Occupancy Limits: Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits | Colorado General Assembly
HB 24-1152 Accessory Dwelling Units: Accessory Dwelling Units | Colorado General Assembly
HB 24-1313 Transit Oriented Communities: Housing in Transit-Oriented Communities | Colorado General Assembly
VA Redevelopment at 9th & Clermont: GM Development has successfully passed the city’s Large Development Review process, a crucial milestone in the legislative process. The next step in the process is the rezoning of the site to C-MX-12 (Commercial-Mixed Use-12 stories). Currently the property is zoned for a hospital campus and 20 stories in height. The proposed new zoning would allow for a maximum of 12 stories (height of the existing building) with general mixed-use purposes including residential, retail, and office. This zoning designation aligns with the East Area Plan for the area and supports the overall goals of the community. The development team plans to file for the rezoning in Q1 of 2024. Once an estimated timeline for the rezoning process is known, this information will be shared. To view the proposed renderings, visit: https://www.gmdevco.com/projects-1/1055-clermont-st.
Transportation:
Denver Moves: Cherry Creek: DMCC is a cohesive strategy for the development of future transportation infrastructure and programs that will support the City's mobility goals in the Cherry Creek neighborhood and surrounding area. The Denver Moves: Cherry Creek plan aims to create a safer and more convenient environment to walk, bicycle, take transit, deliver goods, and drive in and around Cherry Creek as the area continues to grow. DMCC will guide how the City of Denver programs, funds, plans, designs, builds, and maintains the future multimodal transportation network in the area. The plan is complete and can be found here: Denver Moves: Cherry Creek - City and County of Denver (denvergov.org) Updates will be provided as design and implementation move forward.
Colfax Bus Rapid Transit; The City and County of Denver is commencing with the implementation of a center-running bus rapid transit (BRT) along the Colfax corridor between Broadway and Yosemite. As a strategic vision in 2008 the City and County of Denver’s Strategic Transportation Plan identified the need to move people more efficiently within the city to improve traffic flow and rider and pedestrian safety. The design process and environmental review began in late 2020 and are now complete. Funded through the Elevate Denver Bond Program and other sources, construction will commence in 2024, with anticipated completion in 2026. For more information visit this link: https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Projects/Colfax-BRT
Updates will be provided for issues the Transportation & Zoning committee is tracking as the projects progress and there is information to share, or new issues arise. If you have a question, or an issue you would like the T&Z committee to be aware of, please let us know. And, the City Council District 5 website is a great way to stay connected: Amanda Sawyer - City and County of Denver (denvergov.org)
