Centennial staff outline 21 proposed amendments to municipal and land development codes; council signals consensus to proceed

City of Centennial planners presented a package of 21 proposed amendments to the Centennial Municipal Code (CMC) and Land Development Code (LDC) at a study session on April 15, and council members signaled consensus to advance the changes to the Planning and Zoning Commission and a public hearing before the council.

"The goals for this discussion is staff seeks feedback and consensus to move forward on the proposed LDC amendments," said Brad McGinnis, planner with the City of Centennial. Planners said the packet contains text cleanups, clarified procedures and new or revised standards intended to keep the city's regulations current, correct cross-references, and address requests from residents and businesses.

The proposed amendments cover a wide range of topics. Staff said the package includes corrections to article 12 on nonconforming lots and buildings; updates to the Centennial Municipal Code text that reflect that South Metro Fire now designates fire lanes (removing references to city departments that no longer exist); and a removal of the Planning and Zoning hearing requirement for certain LDC technical amendments, which staff described as redundant. The presentation also identified two separate sections governing wireless communication facilities that need renumbering and one conditional-use reference that incorrectly named the city council rather than Planning and Zoning.

Staff proposed rescinding a subsection that required public hearings for "pattern books," a developer-proposed set of local standards that some recent projects used to vary setbacks, materials and other standards. According to staff, pattern books previously required a Planning and Zoning public hearing and city council ratification; the proposed repeal aligns the code with an earlier ordinance change that removed the hearing requirement.

Planners also recommended prohibiting recycled asphalt and recycled concrete as surfacing materials for parking and outdoor storage, citing stormwater concerns raised by the Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (CEMSA). "These recycled materials often break apart much easier than standard asphalt or concrete, which will then be carried in the stormwater facilities during rain events," staff said.

Other substantive items in the proposal include: - Removing the Arapahoe County Recorder block requirement from rezoning application cover pages because the county no longer requires it. - Adding a notarized letter of authorization to variance application materials so property owners explicitly authorize representatives to apply on their behalf. - Creating an expiration timeframe for approved conditional-use permits that do not move forward; staff suggested an approach similar to site plans (a three-year expiration with the potential for extensions), but said the council could direct different tiers based on project type. - Adopting an outdoor-storage threshold for the Employment Center Light Industry (ECLI) zone district so the code can distinguish accessory outdoor storage from primary storage-yard uses (storage yards are not permitted in ECLI). - Clarifying how accessory dwelling unit (ADU) height is measured (average grade of major corners of the front façade to the midpoint of the highest slope) and clarifying that an attached or internal garage does not count toward ADU square footage for zoning calculations. - Adding clarifications on accessory structures in the Neighborhood Conservation 2-Acre zone district and explicitly accounting for accessory structures in home-based business definitions. - Establishing operational design and dimensional standards for permanent commercial outdoor patios and recalibrating build-to and ground-floor height standards in the Urban Center zone to give developers more flexibility. - Expanding the director's authority to place holds not only on building permits but also on processing land-use applications when active code-compliance violations relate to the same property, to avoid applicants paying for full review timelines if an outstanding violation prevents final approval. - Reassessing building material classifications in the Central Arapahoe Road Corridor Overlay Zone and adding or revising definitions (including front lot line and garage) in Article 16.

Council members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. Council member Sweetland asked whether conditional-use expiration periods would vary by use; staff replied that they would likely mirror the three-year site-plan expiration and include a renewal process, but that the council could direct tiered expirations if desired. Council member Alston asked about fencing language; staff said the slide had been removed from the packet after staff found existing code already covers the issue. Mayor Fortin asked for clarification about pattern books and staff explained that pattern books are applicant-proposed local standards used in constrained sites and that the change aligns policy and practice.

Staff said the proposed schedule is to send the package to the Planning and Zoning Commission tentatively on May 14, 2025, and to hold a public hearing before the City Council on June 17, 2025, for possible approval. After the presentation, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Sutherland asked whether council members had consensus for staff to proceed: "So is there a consensus from the council for staff to proceed with the proposed amendments and next steps?" Staff reported a thumbs-up consensus.

The package is primarily a combination of ordinance cleanups and procedural clarifications, but it includes several substantive standards that could affect developers, property owners and certain materials and operations. Staff told the council they will work with the city attorney's office on appeal-process language and will return to Planning and Zoning and then council with a formal ordinance.

Next steps: staff will finalize amendment language with the city attorney, present to the Planning and Zoning Commission (tentatively May 14), and hold a council public hearing (tentatively June 17, 2025).