City presents Geneva Village redevelopment process and ULI technical advisory panel to preservation commission

Deputy City Manager Kathleen O’Shara told the Historic Preservation Commission the session was meant to inform commissioners about an upcoming planning effort for Downtown Littleton’s Northern Gateway and the city-owned Geneva Village site.

O’Shara reviewed the history: the International Geneva Association purchased the property in 1927 and built Geneva Village in 1967 as 28 apartments designed by Eugene Sternberg. The city purchased five parcels that make up the overall property in 1975 as part of the land assembly for a new city center, she said. Geneva Lodge on the site is a designated historic resource and the Geneva Village apartments are eligible but not locally designated, O’Shara said.

She said the downtown development authority (DDA) formed earlier has a plan of development that identifies gateways — including a Northern Gateway that stretches toward Prince Street — and that council and stakeholders have prioritized downtown connectivity, place-making, cleanliness/safety and parking as objectives.

Julie Latham, the city’s housing policy analyst, reviewed recent council direction and the steps the city has taken. She said council in 2022 and subsequent updates directed staff to chart a course to redevelop the property in ways that align with city goals: prioritize majority-affordable residential uses, incorporate Eugene Sternberg design principles, consider a mix of rental and for-sale housing, and pursue connectivity and partnerships with private owners and the Littleton Downtown Development Authority.

Latham said the city has focused on resident relocation over the last year; she reported staff have successfully relocated all but one remaining resident and that council had directed that residential operations continue through the end of 2025 for the remaining resident. The city is working with the resident and family on relocation options, Latham said.

Latham said the city applied to the Urban Land Institute for a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) on Nov. 1; the application was successful and the panel was selected in January. The TAP will bring ULI Colorado members with expertise in design, real estate, preservation and affordable housing to review the site and offer recommendations. Latham said the city expects outreach to property owners in April and May and that the TAP is scheduled for May (dates provided in the presentation). She said the ULI panel will conduct stakeholder interviews, work intensively on-site for about two days, and produce a report the city expects to receive in late July.

Latham described a three-tier study area used in the TAP application: Tier 1 includes the Geneva Village apartments; Tier 2 includes other city-owned properties such as the city center, Geneva Lodge, Geneva Park and Geneva Lake; Tier 3 includes nearby areas of influence that affect the Northern Gateway. The city will present a similar briefing to City Council at a study session on March 25 and to the Littleton Downtown Development Authority later in the week, she said.

O’Shara and Latham said the TAP is intended to generate options and recommendations for short- and long-term steps; the panel’s work is exploratory and meant to inform later community engagement. They said they expect to invite two HPC members to participate in the TAP stakeholder process and to share the TAP report with the commission when it is available.

Commissioners asked whether the city intended to retain ownership of the property; Latham said council is open to redevelopment and staff are using the TAP to explore options, including models where the city retains ownership or uses long-term leases or partnerships. Commissioners also asked about county-owned land near the northern Gateway and whether the TAP would include adjacent property owners; Latham said outreach will include private owners in the broader study area.

Commissioners and staff discussed the site’s historic attributes, Sternberg’s design principles and the need to balance preservation, affordable housing, and long-term stewardship. O’Shara said the Historic Preservation Board reviewed Sternberg’s career and told the city the Geneva Village site is an example of his largely unaltered work that demonstrates his design values.