Council approves rezoning at 2000 South Bannock to allow five-story mixed-use development

Denver City Council on Monday approved a rezoning that converts a single-family property at 2000 South Bannock Street in the Overland neighborhood from light industrial (IA, with a billboard overlay) to CRX-5, an urban-center residential mixed-use zoning that allows up to five-story buildings.

Community Planning and Development staff recommended approval, saying the change would support housing growth close to transit and make more productive use of an underutilized parcel. "This is a request to rezone from IA to CRX-5 to allow mixed-use options," Will Prince, a planner with Community Planning and Development, told the council during the required public hearing. Prince said the site is identified as an "urban center" and described consistency with Comprehensive Plan 2040 and the Evans Station plan.

"Several goals are met here through this rezoning, many of them looking at increasing housing units, as well as diversifying the housing types, especially those close to transit," Prince said. The staff report lists applicable city plans and characterized the rezoning as implementing the city's growth strategy by focusing housing and job growth in centers and corridors.

There were no public speakers at the hearing. Councilmember Alvidrez, whose district includes the site, said she had spoken with neighbors and supported the rezoning. After brief council questions about plan consistency and an explanation that state transit-oriented-development rules were still being finalized, the council voted 12-0 to approve Council Bill 24-17-72.

Ending: The rezoning authorizes the CRX-5 zone district for the 6,250-square-foot parcel and directs subsequent development to comply with CRX-5 form and use standards; detailed project approvals, site plans and building permits will follow the zoning change.