[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6344062,"mediaKeyId","2251242-a73a2bd67c9f5134bff5f930cc94e058","parentId",2251242,"title","Planners unveil long-range Midtown Centennial vision; public engagement and infrastructure studies planned","audioSeconds",3361,"startMs",3538000,"endMs",6899000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2251242-a73a2bd67c9f5134bff5f930cc94e058&start=3538&end=6899","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2251242-a73a2bd67c9f5134bff5f930cc94e058/thumbnail_3538000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6344062/Centennial/Arapahoe-County/Colorado/Planners-unveil-long-range-Midtown-Centennial-vision-public-engagement-and-infrastructure-studies-planned","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344062-95d41ba0af05659a580ecd63566e1d9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770967308&Signature=RRwOx6kzbck0fTIsFCECQ-kUUUw7d0mwlUSKCl~-f709Y4BfWABPDXK~bJDP2mbK4m6PRui31wSXWrBO84HJgcnm6-7gNvbv5NvC~G6QLPJiQP5gUuo6cNVer0COMMGSqUHBHCxfkUAexR22HpP-YTIu~cmq59uau1Z0SLzs-Pn105CaBYHwEgeNhEQ9eE~1Q7pKHan~n7s1Ta7JydFGrXx17lG5ox-btkvsh6SAEgLhAk~--Y-Zs1Ng1W-ZNYKQu517SQ8pSViyK844KvcPmzBUaswMTAWyLh4TqZxL9WxQIb2~HE-w1LmQbMzHZbfsqz4XcxTBgEC1pTOpyzMU3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Centennial, CO","date","2025-01-22T00:00:00Z","article","City planning staff on Jan. 22 gave the Planning and Zoning Commission an overview of Midtown Centennial — a long-range visioning effort to guide redevelopment of roughly 418 acres in the I‑25 corridor — and described next steps including consultant work, an economic/fiscal analysis, sewer‑capacity modeling and expanded community outreach.

“Long range planning allows for the city to cast a long‑term vision for an area,” Senior Planner David King told the commission, explaining the purpose of the exercise and why the city is updating older guidance for the corridor. King said the Midtown concept grew from Centennial Next (the city’s comprehensive plan) and recent Land Development Code amendments and noted that the work does not set immediate land‑use decisions but does create a framework for future regulatory steps.

Senior Planner Jenna Campbell described Civitas’s role in creating an urban‑design framework focused on the public realm — parks, pedestrian connections, multimodal streets and branding. Campbell said Civitas distilled four guiding principles for Midtown: “authentic Midtown” (a unique Centennial identity), “connected Midtown” (multimodal and pedestrian networks, including Chester Street as a spine), “vibrant Midtown” (placemaking and public spaces), and “resilient Midtown” (long‑term fiscal and environmental resilience).

Staff framed the economic and market context: Midtown contains many aging office buildings built for a pre‑pandemic commuting model. The Denver South study and staff slides cited a roughly 24% vacancy rate in the Midtown geography (2024) and an approximate 18% vacancy rate across the broader I‑25 corridor in earlier measures. City staff noted newer office product in the region has far lower vacancy (about 4.6%), and consultants will examine how demand and land‑use change could affect city revenues and service capacity.

To inform those analyses, Centennial has engaged EPS (a national planning and economic consulting firm) to conduct a fiscal and development‑demand study and will model sanitary sewer capacity with Southgate Water & Sanitation District. Campbell said the City won a DRCOG Livable Center Program grant (no local match) to focus analysis on the East Side of Midtown.

Design concepts presented by Civitas include new linear parks and greenways, enhanced crossings of I‑25, and a network of smaller multimodal streets to knit older office parcels into walkable, mixed‑use blocks. King and Campbell emphasized that the project team is prioritizing the public‑realm framework (streets, parks, gateways, wayfinding) rather than specifying exact parcel‑level land uses at this stage.

Staff outlined public‑engagement plans: a project webpage and an interactive MapIT tool where residents can annotate locations and suggest parks or uses; presentations to neighborhood and HOA groups; outreach to utilities and service providers; and targeted meetings with adjacent jurisdictions. Campbell said the outreach effort will be broader than a typical development project because Midtown spans many parcels, landowners and stakeholders.

Commissioners asked about metrics, infrastructure limits and timing. King said EPS’s fiscal work will inform measurable targets for reinvestment and help answer questions such as whether Midtown’s conversion from office to mixed uses will change peak population, city service demands, or budget outcomes. On infrastructure, staff said water supply is not the limiting factor but sewer capacity is the primary technical constraint; the Southgate modeling will identify pipe and pump upgrades needed to accommodate denser residential uses.

Next steps: Civitas will continue design work; EPS will complete the fiscal analysis; DRCOG‑funded East Side work will begin; the city plans robust outreach in Q1–Q2 2025; and staff expects to return with a Midtown sub‑area plan (to update the now‑outdated 2013 I‑25 sub‑area plan) that can inform LDC amendments, overlay districts and targeted rezonings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Centennial City Planning and Zoning Commission | 1/22/2025","oneSentenceSummary","City planning staff on Jan. 22 presented a long‑range vision for Midtown Centennial, emphasizing a public‑realm framework, design principles and studies needed to test fiscal and infrastructure capacity before targeted rezonings or site plan approvals.","taxTitle","Centennial, Arapahoe County, Colorado","taxId",5762,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6344065,"Planning and Zoning Commission recommends airport-influence variance for 6901 S. Havana Street",3125,340000,3465000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2251242-a73a2bd67c9f5134bff5f930cc94e058&start=340&end=3465","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2251242-a73a2bd67c9f5134bff5f930cc94e058/thumbnail_340000.jpg","/articles/6344065/Centennial/Arapahoe-County/Colorado/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-recommends-airport-influence-variance-for-6901-S-Havana-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344065-2660feccedd4e842a6520366bfac69bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770967308&Signature=S0E1ZP9ZAh93cPFUQ4NciSClrToiP4NB2xhNy9OF8QxA9K0JL-mZvZyv0O89CnZFcOKz~ofU5pMcrjohh~raQROaZtCnhewraYY6ID3dC9v3uHg1ACV6FDsqgMh8oEnY84WeeCrDBl-BTo0XKDrqN6Cetgx0HAZe1~oGNi4mx74b-6ldpLq8xBgvtJGcdd4Wxtkhtj-lb0i3vxWo9Nk2HqSaBlFCqQ6ik-Zkifn5t2lORL1ZZqS6STv1h1bQF4Yvxg1ZYHjjPDQ6L7pyZ4q7lHkH0sUSMrepAZcN0bzU04EquUJ9xdHHxdkjrDu5hCqGevK4gJ3eEz8LiTOoIMcM0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 22 recommended that City Council approve a Centennial Airport influence area variance for a 19-acre site at 6901 South Havana Street (Case VARDash24Dash00004 / Resolution 2025-R-04), a step the applicant said is needed before pursuing rezoning that could allow multifamily residential.

The variance concerns the City’s airport influence area (AIA) overlay, which restricts “noise-sensitive” uses — including multifamily housing, schools and congregate care — inside the 55 DNL contour and in a Restricted Development Area (RDA). City planning staff told commissioners the AIA process allows applicants to request an exception to those restrictions; staff recommended approval after concluding the variance meets the approval criteria in Section 12-14-803 of the Land Development Code.

Michael Gradis, planning manager for the city, told the commission the AIA variance is “a little bit unique” because AIA code requires only one of three approval criteria to be met. Gradis explained the variance would not itself rezone the property or guarantee future approvals but would allow the applicant “the possibility to request a rezoning or a site plan at a future date.”

Applicant team member Colin Waterworth said the property’s owner (Centura Health) has determined it no longer needs the office facility and marketed several disposition options before pursuing redevelopment. “Ultimately, we’d like to do residential housing at this location and buildings of 10 units or more,” Waterworth said, and argued the AIA variance is necessary because the entire site sits in the RDA and a rezoning alone would not permit noise-sensitive uses.

Staff and the applicant reviewed the AIA technical background for commissioners: the site sits inside the 55 DNL day‑night average sound level contour and within a Restricted Development Area that precludes noise‑sensitive land uses without a variance. Gradis described the code’s noise‑attenuation standards (an outside‑to‑inside transmission loss minimum of 25 dB for the 55 DNL contour) and noted that the airport’s referral letter recommends developers meet noise‑attenuation measures required by the code.

The applicant said it will design buildings to meet the code’s construction and mechanical requirements (25 dB transmission loss, mechanical ventilation and central air conditioning) and argued typical interior sound levels after mitigation would be “roughly in that 30 decibel range,” which the applicant described as “barely noticeable.” The Centennial Airport’s referral — included in the packet — asked that noise attenuation be required and reiterated airport concerns about placing noise‑sensitive uses near airport operations.

Staff emphasized the recommendation includes conditions common to AIA variances: the variance is limited to multifamily residential (not other noise‑sensitive uses), future development would still have to meet noise‑attenuation code requirements, an avigation easement or recorded notice is typically required at plat or site plan review, and the variance has a three‑year life span during which the applicant must make substantial progress (with staff able to grant extensions in certain circumstances). Gradis said the variance, if granted, would remain tied to the property even if the original applicant does not proceed.

After questions from commissioners on walkability, precedent, and process, Commissioner Reewords moved to recommend approval of Resolution 2025-R-04 (Case VARDash24Dash00004). Commissioner Jackson seconded; the commission chair called the vote and the motion passed. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a public hearing and final decision on Feb. 4, 2025.

The recommendation does not itself rezone the site. If City Council grants the variance and a future applicant seeks rezoning, that rezoning and any site plan would be reviewed under the city’s standard procedures and noise‑attenuation requirements. The Centennial Airport referral and the staff conditions will be part of the record for Council’s consideration.

Next steps: City Council will hold a public hearing on Feb. 4, 2025, to decide whether to adopt Resolution 2025-R-04. If Council approves the variance, an applicant would still need to pursue rezoning and site plan approvals before residential development could occur.","The Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a Centennial Airport influence area (AIA) variance for a 19-acre property at 6901 S. Havana St., clearing the way for the applicant to later seek rezoning and potential multifamily development. The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council on Feb. 4, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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Planners unveil long-range Midtown Centennial vision; public engagement and infrastructure studies planned

Planning and Zoning Commission recommends airport-influence variance for 6901 S. Havana Street