Board approves Maker Housing’s Maker Boyers PUD for 117 affordable units and retail space in Welby

The Adams County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning and preliminary development plan (PRC2024-17) on July 8 to redevelop the Boyers site in the Welby neighborhood into a five‑story mixed-use planned unit development with 117 affordable housing units and approximately 4,200 square feet of commercial space.

Proposal and staff review: Planning staff said the applicant, Maker Housing Partners, seeks to rezone the roughly two-acre site from Industrial-1 to Planned Unit Development to allow a 62-foot, five-story building containing 117 units targeted to incomes between about 30% and 70% of area median income, plus retail space at the Washington Street corner. Planning staff noted the site’s future land use designation as Mixed Use Employment in the Welby subarea and recommended approval of the PUD with 12 findings and two conditions. RTD, CDOT, Thornton, Excel and other referral agencies registered no objections, staff said.

Design and amenities: Applicant presentations described a podium-style building with covered resident parking, additional surface parking, secure bicycle storage (the applicant proposed 102 bike spaces), two internal courtyards, a rooftop amenity deck and a dog park. The developer said it is working with RTD to relocate a nearby bus stop to better serve the site. Staff noted that code normally requires 183 parking spaces for the proposed unit count; the applicant proposed 148 spaces and cited state legislation limiting local parking requirements for qualifying affordable housing developments in transit-oriented areas (cited in the hearing as House Bill 24-13004).

Public comment and board discussion: Planning Commission had forwarded the project to the board with a 5–2 recommendation in May after public comment split between support and opposition. On July 8, the board heard statements from nearby residents and local business owners. Supporters and neighbors who attended planning charrettes praised the developer’s work to honor the historic Boyers site and to include a community-facing coffee operator; opponents raised concerns about air quality near highways and the area’s lack of nearby grocery stores. Makers and design team members said they had met repeatedly with neighborhood stakeholders and that the project incorporates design elements to honor the Boyers schoolhouse and provide community spaces.

Vote and outcome: Chair (recorded on the dais) made the motion to approve PRC2024-17; the motion passed 5–0. Commissioners cited the project’s alignment with the Welby subarea plan goals for mixed-use development, housing diversity and neighborhood revitalization.

Why it matters: The approval authorizes the county’s largest new affordable housing project before the board at the meeting and includes ground-floor commercial space intended to reestablish a community hub on the Boyers site. Supporters said the project will add workforce and entry-level housing, and developer payments, partnerships and public improvements are expected to advance the Welby corridor’s revitalization.

Next steps: The applicant will proceed to final development plan and building-permit stages and work with county and regional partners on transit, parking management and air-quality mitigation measures identified during review.