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Council signals support to explore residential minimum heights in Midtown Centennial
Summary
City planning staff asked council for feedback on requiring minimum residential building heights in priority areas of Midtown Centennial to concentrate higher‑density housing near I‑25; council gave unanimous support to continue drafting an approach.
Centennial planning staff presented a proposal April 1 to require minimum residential building heights in targeted parts of Midtown Centennial to encourage higher‑density, higher‑value development near Interstate 25.
Senior planner David King told council the idea is not to apply citywide but to direct taller residential buildings to the limited parcels adjacent to I‑25 that have the greatest market potential for dense development. King said some Urban Center (UC) subdistricts already include minimum heights — the Center Subdistrict calls for 5‑ to 15‑story buildings along I‑25 — but several parcels zoned Business Park near the highway currently lack coordinated planning and could be better reserved for taller residential buildings. Staff proposed potential approaches including adding minimum residential heights to the Employment Center Mixed Use (ECMU) zone districts or creating a geographic overlay for the I‑25‑adjacent parcels.
Council Q&A covered airport referrals and crane height, whether a minimum would apply only to residential projects (King said yes — the discussion targets residential uses), how minimums would step down away from the highway, and whether owner‑occupied versus rental product could be treated differently. King said ECMU 100 could reasonably carry a 5‑story residential minimum; ECMU 75 could carry a 4‑story minimum, mirroring the UC subdistrict practice, and that design standards and incentives could follow. He also noted existing tools such as planned unit development (PUD) approvals remain available for exceptional projects.
Council members praised the approach and asked staff to return with code language. Mayor Pro Tem Sutherland asked for a thumbs‑up from council; King reported unanimous support to continue developing the proposal and to return with details and Planning & Zoning Commission review before any ordinance change.
Ending: Staff will draft specific code amendments and implementation options (zone‑based minimums vs. overlay, parcel size thresholds, and potential design standards) and send the proposal to the Planning & Zoning Commission for recommendation prior to council consideration.
