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Council approves rezoning at East Nichols and Yosemite to allow mixed-use redevelopment
Summary
By a 7-0 vote, Centennial City Council rezoned a BP-35 office parcel at 9000 East Nichols to Employment Center Mixed Use (ECMU-75), increasing allowable building height from 35 to 75 feet and enabling multifamily uses; council and residents debated compatibility, setbacks and buffer requirements.
Centennial City Council voted 7-0 on July 15 to approve Ordinance 2025-O-10, rezoning a property at the southeast corner of East Nichols Avenue and South Yosemite Street from Business Park 35 (BP-35) to Employment Center Mixed Use 75 (ECMU-75). The ordinance (case RZONE-25-00001) changes the maximum allowable building height from 35 feet to 75 feet in the rezoned district and allows a broader mix of residential and commercial uses under the Employment Center Mixed Use zone.
Michael Gradis, planning manager, described the property, noting it sits within Midtown Centennial and abuts residential neighborhoods to the south and west. He told council that rezoning does not itself authorize construction of a specific project: "A rezoning is not a permit for development," Gradis said, adding that any redevelopment would require subsequent site-plan review and, where required, public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Applicant Dustin Jones, principal with Ogilvy Partners, said the flexibility to add residential uses could help repurpose 1980s-era office space: "Giving our property the flexibility to add residential isn't allowed to use will create the first step in a process for eventually repurposing a '27 eighties office area that is becoming more irrelevant," Jones said.
Nearby residents expressed concerns about the height change and potential views into private yards. Two neighbors said they had lived in Willow Creek for decades and asked the council to limit height to keep compatibility with nearby single-family areas. Gradis and staff outlined site-specific protections that apply in the Employment Center Mixed Use district: enhanced buffer yards, minimum building setbacks (50 feet where adjacent to residential), and landscape and opacity requirements intended to mitigate visual impact. Staff also noted that South Yosemite Street provides more than 100 feet of separation between the rezoned parcel and the Willow Creek rear lots and that an existing GID wall and mature landscaping add further screening.
The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval by a 7-0 vote on June 25. With the council vote the change will be reflected on Centennial's official zoning map. Council members urged the applicant to conduct additional outreach with adjacent HOAs before a future redevelopment submittal and reiterated that any specific development plan would return for public review and possibly a public hearing.
