The Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission on July 23 recommended that City Council rezone property at 7409 South Alton Court from Business Park 75 (BP‑75) to Employment Center Mixed Use 75 (ECMU‑75), a change the applicant and staff said aligns the site with the city's Midtown Centennial goals for mixed‑use redevelopment.

Staff planner Brad McInnis said the 2.15‑acre site includes a 36,000‑square‑foot vacant office building and that the application is a rezoning only: "I will note that this is purely just a rezoning application. There is no concurrent site plan application with this rezoning," McInnis said. He told commissioners the rezoning would unlock residential uses but would not change the 75‑foot height limit.

The rezoning, case RZONE25‑00003, was presented by Bruce O'Donnell of Starboard Realty Group on behalf of Colorado Public Radio. Stuart VanderWealth, identified in the record as president and CEO of Colorado Public Radio, said the request is "a proactive step" to ensure future redevelopment would conform with the Centennial NEXT comprehensive plan and Midtown Centennial subarea goals.

McInnis summarized staff findings that the ECMU‑75 district better supports mixed uses near transit and that the change would not by itself create discernible traffic, noise, flood or airport hazards. The property lies within the Centennial Airport influence area; the airport's referral letter noted a required navigation easement and listed applicable FAA regulations for future redevelopment. McInnis also said a traffic impact study was not required for this rezoning and that any future site plan would be reviewed by the city's traffic division.

Staff said a virtual community meeting was held March 14–28; 245 invitations were sent and three unique participants attended. The city sent 22 referrals and received four responses from review agencies, including the Centennial Airport, Cherry Creek School District, Xcel (listed as "Excel" in the referral summary) and South Metro Fire Rescue. McInnis told commissioners that dimensional standards would remain roughly the same under ECMU‑75, but that the lighting zone would change from LZ‑2 to LZ‑3 and the landscape surface ratio would be reduced to roughly 10 percent.

One member of the public, Douglas Christ of 8711 East Kettle Circle, expressed questions about whether the building would be demolished or converted and about whether the rezoning could lead to additional multifamily development in the nearby Jones District. "I'm concerned about the Jones District," Christ said, and also raised general concerns about traffic and city services tied to more residential development.

Commissioner Lloyd moved to recommend approval of ordinance 2025‑O‑11 to rezone the parcel from BP‑75 to ECMU‑75; Commissioner Masters seconded. The motion passed; the commission's recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a public hearing scheduled Aug. 19, 2025.

The rezoning does not authorize a specific development. McInnis and the applicants noted that any redevelopment would require a separate site plan review and compliance with airport and other agency requirements before building permits could be issued.