Chronological updates (old to new):
The CPHCA received notice of a request to rezone a section of Holly Street just south of the commercial development (Park Burger, High Point Creamery and Novo Coffee). Here is the initial application and concept plan The Green Flats Proposal 10.17 (1)
The initial public hearing scheduled for March 7, 2018 was postponed to April 4, 2018 to allow for more opportunity to provide public comment. Our Association scheduled two meetings for neighbors to learn more about the project (on March 4 and 21st). Please see this description of the procedure for submitting public comment.
UPDATE 4/15:
The Community Planning Board held a meeting to review the application and hear public comment on April 4. The vote at the meeting denied the application based on the inconsistency between the zoning code district of the properties and the zoning code the applicant used in the application (S-MU-3). The planning board encouraged the applicant to meet with the Community Planning and Development staff to review what options they could suggest to move the application forward. A record of this meeting will be available shortly here: CPB Meeting Records.
Members of the Zoning Committee of our RNO, the Cranmer Park/Hilltop Civic Association, met on Tuesday, April 10 with CPD staff and the applicant and developer. The applicant is presently deciding which option best serves their needs/goals. At the meeting the city staff recommended the Association use the services of a professional mediator and agreeing this is a good idea, our Association has engaged the mediator and started the process of setting up meetings with the concerned parties.
UPDATE 4/18 from our Zoning Committee Chair, Tom Hart:
This is the proposed development on South Holly Street adjacent to the “Park Burger” building. I’m sure you all saw the article in the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle about the meeting that was held at Graland on March 21st. Thanks to all who attended.
The property is currently zoned E-MU-2.5 at the north half where a five unit apartment building currently stands and E-SU-Dx at the south half where two single family homes stand. The townhomes to the south are a PUD and the commercial property to the north is zoned E-MX-2x.
The developers applied for an S-MU-3 designation as that would allow them to build the three story apartment building that they are proposing. The City Planning staff did not support this designation, mostly because the “Suburban” designation would be incongruent with the rest of our neighborhood. A hearing was held with the Planning Board on April 4th. Wende and I attended. I spoke and stated that the RNO has not taken a position on the proposal, mostly because we were working with the neighbors and could not come to a consensus. After much discussion, and despite being generally supportive of the ideas behind the proposal, the Board denied the application based on the inconsistency between the zoning code district of the properties and the zoning code the applicant used in the application. The planning board encouraged the applicant to meet with the Community Planning and Development staff to review what options they could suggest to move the application forward.
Wende and I met on Tuesday, April 10 with CPD staff and the applicant and developer. The applicant is presently deciding which options discussed best serves their needs/goals. At the meeting the city staff recommended the Association use the services of a professional mediator and agreeing this is a good idea, our Association has engaged the mediator and started the process of setting up meetings with the concerned parties.
The Planning staff has subsequently stated that they would support a designation of E-MU-2.5 (the current designation of the five-plex) with waivers to allow an apartment building form that is 2.5 stories instead of the currently allowed two stories.
UPDATE 5/7:
The Assn recently received notice of a revised application to rezone. The Community Planning and Development Department offered the services of a professional mediator to work with the concerned parties and a meeting was arranged on May 7 for the neighbors who live within the zoning notification radius. A volunteer for neighbors opposing the application delivered the notice about the meeting to neighbors within the 200 foot radius of the proposed development site. While the mediation process is active, the CPD Department will not set a date for any of the public hearings on this application. Notice of public hearing dates will be posted as soon as we are notified. Public comment is welcome throughout the process.
UPDATE 6/22:
A group of neighbors from Hilltop and Crestmoor have been meeting with a professional mediator to discuss the issues and concerns regarding the rezoning application on this site. The mediator is currently preparing a summary of the meetings and will forward to this group for review, and then send it on to the Community Planning Board. Our Zoning Committee is meeting this coming week with the applicant and concerned neighbors and we continue to work toward a solution that will be good for the neighborhood. While the mediation process is active, the CPD Department will not set a date for any of the public hearings on this application. Notice of public hearing dates will be posted as soon as we are notified. Public comment is welcome throughout the process.
UPDATE 7/16:
As the result of mediation between the developers, the adjacent neighbors, the representatives of Cranmer Park/Hilltop Civic Association and of Crestmoor Park Neighborhood Association, the professional mediator issued a final report of recommendations based on the discussions and subsequent agreements made during the mediation. Shortly following the release of the mediator’s report, the CPHCA Zoning Committee met to hear from the developers and the adjacent neighbor representative and to review the report. The consensus of the Committee was that we, the Committee, would not object to the proposed rezoning from E-MU-2.5 and E-SU-Dx to E-MU-2.5 with waivers allowing an apartment building form to be three stories (the third floor being no more than 75% of the floor area below), conditional on an agreement between the developers and CPHCA providing for a Declaration of Restrictive Covenants being placed on the property. These Covenants would follow the recommendations agreed to during the mediation. The developers are currently working on the Declaration of Restrictive Covenants, which the full Board will review. A vote as to whether the Declaration is acceptable will be taken at the next Board meeting.
As soon as the CPD sets and notifies us of dates for the public hearings on this application they will be posted. Public comment is welcome throughout the process.
UPDATE 7/29:
UPDATE 8/31:
UPDATE 9/28:
UPDATE 11/8:
The Planning Board met Wednesday Nov 7. At the hearing, staff presents the case to the board. Here is the Staff Report and Recommendation. The applicant, who is required to attend, may make a presentation, and interested members of the public may speak on the case. Once public testimony is complete, the board deliberates and makes a recommendation to City Council for approval, approval with conditions, or denial. At yesterday’s hearing before the Planning Board, there was one abstention but the rest of the Board voted to support the rezoning.
It was an interesting meeting and discussion. There were about a dozen people who signed up to speak; Tom Hart, Zoning Committee Chair and Wende Reoch, Acting President, recapped the Civic Association’s process, GFCovenants 11.5.18, and our Board’s position. There was also a person from YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) who spoke in favor. The rest of the speakers opposed the rezoning. There were a few from our neighborhood but the majority were from Crestmoor (public comment is noted in the record for the meeting and posted (eventually!) on the CPD Meetings Record page. We thought the Planning Board did an excellent job of addressing the concerns raised and reviewing their process in making a decision. They noted their appreciation of the Association’s role in advocating for the neighborhood to get the best project. While the City tries not to get involved with covenants, they made note of this as a good way to maintain some control and set expectations.
The sequence for most cases reviewed by the Planning Board is as follows:
- Planning Board meeting (includes a public hearing) – Done – Nov. 7, 2018
- Denver City Council’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure (aka LUTI) Committee met November 27 at 10:30 am and unanimously approved the official map amendment to rezone. Video of the meeting is available here: LUTI Calendar
- Denver City Council meeting (includes a public hearing) – Done – January 7, 2019. 8-5 vote to approve defeated the rezoning application due to nearby neighbors successfully petitioning to achieve super-majority vote. 10 yes votes were required for the application to be approved.
The public may continue to submit comments to the staff case manager: Theresa Lucero, Senior City Planner, at [email protected]. Please reference Case # 2017I-00153
UPDATE 12/6:
The applicant sent us axonometric drawings of the proposed development site: The Green Flats Proposed and an option demonstrating what is possible under the current zoning: The Green Flats Option 2
The rezoning process in Denver is explained here.
An overview of the Association’s decision-making process regarding the Green Flats Project is here.
The property owners have posted a notice advertising their plans to build The Homer on South Holly Street, a 6 unit townhouse project on the parcel with the garden court.