Loveland council OKs first reading of Millennium GDP amendment to allow thousands of homes at Centerra South

A divided Loveland City Council approved on first reading a major amendment to the Millennium General Development Plan (GDP) on Feb. 5 that adds residential capacity to Parcel B and extends unified vested rights for that parcel through 2050.

The amendment allocates up to 2,277 new residential units for the 150‑acre Centerra South property (often described in briefing materials as B‑13), and updates numeric limits in the GDP that will let the developer proceed with the mixed‑use project that includes housing, retail, office and infrastructure. The council voted 6‑2 to send the ordinance to second reading.

Why it matters: The GDP amendment is the land‑use step that proponents say is necessary for the Centerra South vision — a walkable, mixed‑use center anchored by a grocery store and office employers — and to unlock shared infrastructure such as a large sanitary‑sewer lift station. Opponents raised concerns about traffic, the scale of new residential units, the fiscal math for the city, and the length of the requested 25‑year extension of vested rights.

Council and staff said the change is consistent with Loveland’s comprehensive plan and the previously approved Sentara South urban renewal plan. Staff also noted a Planning Commission recommendation (6‑1) in favor of the amendment. Developers and their partners during the council hearing described a plan with multifamily apartments, for‑sale townhomes/condominiums, retail (including a grocer), and an office campus; Hensel Phelps confirmed it will locate its corporate headquarters there.

Opponents at the meeting and in written comments pressed the council on several points: whether the city will be saddled with additional traffic on U.S. 34, how tax‑increment financing (TIF) used by the urban renewal authority affects general‑fund revenue, and whether a 25‑year vesting period is appropriate. Staff and the developer said the project will pay for required road and utility improvements and that the developer will construct a lift station and other infrastructure needed to serve both the Centerra and neighboring Schmeer farm parcel. The developer and a tied‑to‑it partner said that, without the amendment, the adjacent King Soopers grocery proposal could not proceed.

What’s next: The ordinance passed on first reading and will return to council for a second/final reading; the amendment also requires follow‑up site development plans and infrastructure agreements before vertical construction can start. If the amendment is adopted, subsequent permits and master‑plan phases will specify the mix of for‑sale versus rental units and project phasing.

Council vote: First reading approval, ordinance 67556 — 6 yes, 2 no. Motion by Councilor Sampson; second by Councilor Olsen.

Ending: Councilors and the developer said they will continue to refine traffic mitigation and utility plans as the project advances, with the developer committing to build several of the upfront utilities and to participate in intersection improvements identified by staff.