Council committee advances rezoning to implement Near Northwest area plan

Denver’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 28 voted to move a legislative rezoning (map amendment 25086) forward to the full City Council that would implement the Near Northwest Area Plan across Chaffee Park, Sunnyside, Highland and Jefferson Park.

Community Planning and Development staff member Libby Glick presented the proposal, saying, “I’m Libby Glick with Community Planning and Development and I’ll be presenting the rezoning to implement the Near Northwest Area Plan.” The package would add an active centers-and-corridors design overlay (DO8) in targeted places, rezone a set of former Chapter 59 properties into Denver’s current zoning code, and adjust several base zoning districts along commercial corridors to require more pedestrian-oriented, active ground-floor uses.

The rezoning follows the Near Northwest Area Plan, which the council adopted in January 2024. Glick told the committee the proposal has three main components: apply the DO8 overlay to designated centers and corridors; convert a limited number of 2-story Main Street and Mixed Use districts to 3-story districts where needed to implement active ground-floor standards; and rezone former Chapter 59 properties into equivalent Denver…