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Centennial council approves rezoning near Dry Creek Station to allow mixed‑use employment center
Summary
City Council approved rezoning about 9 acres west of South Alton Court and north of East Dry Creek Road from Business Park 75 to Employment Center Mixed Use 75, clearing the way for potential residential and mixed‑use redevelopment; council voted 8‑0 after staff and the applicant said infrastructure and compatibility criteria were met.
City Council on Jan. 21 approved an ordinance rezoning about 9 acres west of South Alton Court and north of East Dry Creek Road from Business Park 75 (BP‑75) to Employment Center Mixed Use 75 (ECMU‑75), moving the site into the Midtown Centennial future‑land‑use area and allowing residential uses in addition to office and commercial.
The rezoning clears the way for a future site plan submittal by Consolidated Investment Group, which told council it plans residential redevelopment. Planning staff recommended approval after finding that the request met the city’s rezoning criteria, including compatibility with Midtown Centennial, access to utilities and transportation, and surrounding land uses. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 6‑1 at its Jan. 8 meeting.
The change keeps the existing 75‑foot maximum building height but adds residential as an allowed use in the zoning district. Planning staff said most development standards are similar between BP‑75 and ECMU‑75; the main land‑use change is removing light industrial and adding residential as a permitted use. Staff also noted a difference in the required landscape surface ratio (LSR), which drops from 25% in BP to 10% in ECMU, and explained that LSR can be satisfied by a variety of elements beyond lawns, including stormwater features.
Applicant Steve Farris, representing Consolidated Investment Group, said the group had worked with staff over many months and intends to submit a site plan in the months ahead. “We are looking at a site plan submittal in the months ahead and developing a plan to do this,” Farris said, adding the project is close to the Dry Creek Station light‑rail stop and that the applicant hopes to preserve landscaping along the bluff by Dry Creek.
Public comment included concerns from resident Andrea Suhaka about reduced on‑site green space for residential uses, the lack of nearby full‑service grocery stores, and a referral comment from Southgate Water and Sanitation noting a need for further study of localized water capacity. Planning staff and the applicant said utility impacts are typically resolved at site‑plan review and that Southgate’s comment was a request for more detailed analysis, not a declaration of insufficient system capacity.
Council members asked about the Planning and Zoning 6‑1 vote; staff said the lone commissioner who opposed did not state which approval criterion he believed was unmet but that the discussion focused on concerns about introducing residential and the reduction in landscape surface ratio. Council members also discussed connectivity, nearby vacancies in office buildings, and the Midtown Centennial policy goals of creating daytime and evening activation.
The council approved the ordinance on final reading by an 8‑0 vote. If approved, the rezoning becomes effective 30 days after publication.
Why this matters: The rezoning allows residential uses in a corridor of largely office and commercial parcels, aligning the parcel with Midtown Centennial goals to promote mixed uses and activate streets beyond traditional 9‑to‑5 office hours. Council and staff repeatedly distinguished rezoning approval from any final site plan; infrastructure upgrades and detailed site design will be considered at later reviews.
