Committee forwards 12-acre Green Valley Ranch rezoning for 4507 Bridal Way to full council

A Denver City Council committee on Tuesday moved to forward a map amendment to rezone roughly 12 acres at 4507 Bridal Way in the Gateway Green Valley Ranch neighborhood from former Chapter 59 PUD 319 into the Denver Zoning Code’s SMX‑5 suburban mixed‑use district.

The recommendation to forward the file to the full City Council came from Community Planning and Development (CPD). Tony LaChuga of CPD told the Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that city agencies found infrastructure studies and road layouts completed under the original PUD made the project suitable for rezoning without a separate large‑development review.

CPD said the change would allow development forms similar to the surrounding superblock but would permit more residential options than the PUD’s remaining cap. The site is about 12 acres, currently vacant, and Bridal Way is a newly created road along its eastern edge. The PUD previously allowed building heights up to about 150 feet; the requested SMX‑5 district allows one‑ to five‑story forms intended for suburban mixed‑use development.

Why it matters: CPD staff argued the rezoning aligns with the city’s adopted plans — Blueprint Denver, the Far Northeast Area Plan and the Denver Comprehensive Plan 2040 — because it would convert a former Chapter 59 parcel into the modern code, support a community‑center place type, and allow housing and neighborhood serving uses on a site near employment and educational institutions.

Discussion and outstanding issues: Council members pressed staff and the applicant on housing capacity, transit access and parks. Councilmember Paul Cashman asked why the superblock had a 291‑unit residential cap; LaChuga said that cap dated to the original, early‑2000s PUD and staff cannot explain the original allocation beyond the PUD’s authorizing process. The applicant, Tyler Carlson of Evergreen Development, said the rezoning was driven by Councilmember Amanda Sawyer and neighborhood conversations that identified a need for more attached for‑sale housing. Carlson said Evergreen is under contract with KB Homes and the applicant is targeting “approximately around a hundred units.”

Councilmember Hines asked whether the site is transit‑oriented. LaChuga said the parcel sits outside the city’s typical transit‑oriented development (TOD) boundary and has no immediate rail stop; the closest stops are south in Aurora and north at 60th Avenue, although regional trails could connect future residents to transit.

Parks and open space: CPD said the Gateway subdivision rules had anticipated a lower open‑space dedication for commercial development, and because the rezoning could enable residential development CPD staff and the parks department are negotiating a development agreement to match residential open‑space dedications. CPD said it anticipates executing that development agreement before the council hearing currently scheduled for Feb. 18.

Process and public input: The property triggered a large‑site review threshold when evaluated but CPD concluded an LDR (large development review) was unnecessary because road, drainage and other infrastructure planning already occurred under the PUD. CPD said informational notice went out in September, there was a Planning Board hearing in early December, and staff received no public comments from residents or area organizations on this rezoning.

Outcome and next steps: Committee Chair Daryl Watson confirmed the item was moved and seconded and the committee advanced the map amendment to the full City Council for consideration. CPD recommended the council consider the ordinance on the council floor in mid‑February.

Ending: If the full council approves the rezoning and the applicant proceeds with a site development plan, further agency reviews — including transportation, drainage and parks — will shape the final site configuration, access points and open‑space dedication.