Thornton council rejects Maker Housing rezoning for 1551 E. 120th Ave.

Thornton City Council on Sept. 9, 2025 voted down a zoning amendment that would have allowed Maker Housing Partners to build an 81‑unit, three‑story affordable apartment complex at 1551 E. 120th Avenue, following a more than three‑hour public hearing that drew roughly 61 speakers and lengthy council debate.

The proposed “Claude Court” development would have occupied a triangular infill parcel near the Signal Ditch Trail, Century Middle School and the Eastlake Transit Station. Maker’s application showed 81 units, 120 surface parking stalls, a 12‑foot right‑of‑way dedication along 120th Avenue and a plan to offer units targeted at 70%, 60% and 50% of area median income (AMI). The developer’s presentation said the site would be a three‑story, transit‑oriented multifamily building with community amenities and resident support services.

City staff told council the proposal complied with the city’s pre‑2025 development code criteria for a rezoning to a planned development (PD) and that the project aligned with the city’s transit‑oriented development future‑land‑use designation. Senior planner Kara Stoler told the council: “the proposed PD zoning is consistent with the future land use designation of transit oriented development.” Planning commission members recommended approval by 5–3 for the zoning amendment and 6–2 for the conceptual site plan.

Maker Housing Partners’ chief executive Peter Lafari and the applicant team described the project as Portland‑area‑style transit‑oriented affordable housing for workers and families. Lafari said the site offered “trails, school, transit, and parks [that] come together, to create a stable foundation for families to thrive.” Maker presented a unit mix of 34 one‑bedrooms, 32 two‑bedrooms and 17 three‑bedrooms and said maximum rents would follow Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) limits tied to AMI; the team cited typical example rents used in CHFA tables (for example, a 1‑bedroom capped by CHFA rules at about $1,839 at 70% AMI and $1,313 at 50% AMI, as presented in the hearing materials).

Supporters at the hearing argued the project would add workforce and affordable housing near transit, help keep teachers and first responders in the community, and provide resident services. Early Childhood Partnership director Lisa Janssen Thompson, introduced herself as representing local child‑care interests and told council: “we know that all families need access to affordable housing.” Others pointed to Maker’s experience operating affordable communities across Adams County and to planned resident services and property management.

Opponents — many living immediately adjacent to the site — raised concerns about parking spillover, traffic on 120th Avenue, building height and compatibility with surrounding single‑family homes, and site‑specific safety issues including a nearby irrigation ditch, railroad right‑of‑way and pipeline easements. A petition with 393 signatures opposing the proposal was submitted to city staff and entered into the record.…