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 Zoning Code districts. Glick said the DO8 overlay will require nonresidential active uses along portions of the ground floor and will not allow the drive-through building form in those locations.

Glick summarized outreach and review: staff mailed an informational notice Nov. 22; the rezoning went to the Planning Board on Jan. 15, where the board unanimously recommended approval with conditions to remove three properties and change the proposal for one property; and CPD received feedback including five comments from registered neighborhood organizations (one each from Chaffee Park, Sunnyside and Highland, and two from Jefferson Park, all supportive), 13 emails asking about specific parcels, and one written comment in opposition from a Jefferson Park resident concerned about safety and potential increases in multi-unit zoning.

Council President Amanda Sandoval, sponsor of the rezoning and a District 1 representative, described the outreach and choices she made in shaping the application. “I intentionally left out big parcels out of this application,” Sandoval said, explaining she excluded some large parcels and certain planned-unit-development candidates after owner or community feedback. She said she and CPD held workshops, neighborhood mapping exercises and individual outreach to affected property owners, and that she proposed a grace period for pending site development plans: plans submitted by Nov. 22, 2024 must receive approval by Aug. 3, 2025 to proceed under prior rules; staff said that grace period would apply to about four site plans.

Committee members praised the depth of outreach and the hands-on approach. Council Member Paul Cashman and others said moving plans from adoption into implementation helps add certainty for neighborhoods. Council members asked clarifying questions about where the DO8 overlay will apply on Federal Boulevard and why some two-story zones were proposed to change to three stories; CPD staff and Sandoval explained the overlay functions better where a third story enables the active-ground-floor design to “pencil” financially and physically.

At the committee’s close, Councilwoman Alvidrez moved and Council Member Cashman seconded a motion to send the rezoning to the full City Council; members indicated assent by thumbs up and the committee advanced the proposal to the council floor. The staff presentation and the Planning Board recommendation, with the three-property removal and one zoning change, will be part of the record when the amendment returns to Council in March for final consideration.

Votes at a glance

- Map amendment 25086 (Near Northwest rezoning) — Motion to advance to full City Council moved by Alvidrez, seconded by Cashman; committee voted in favor by voice/thumbs-up; outcome: advanced to full City Council for a vote (committee action). (Exact roll-call tally not specified in the committee transcript.)

Why this matters

If adopted by the full City Council, the proposal will change how commercial corridors and specific former Chapter 59 properties are regulated in the four Near Northwest neighborhoods by prioritizing active ground-floor uses, pedestrian-oriented design elements and by bringing old-code parcels into the current Denver Zoning Code districts. The changes could influence future development form and allowable uses along selected corridors and may affect building heights and development incentives where affordable housing provisions apply. The committee action sends the package to the council for debate and a final vote.

What’s next

The rezoning is scheduled for full City Council consideration in March; the staff report and Planning Board conditions are part of the packet that will accompany the council hearing.