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Westminster council approves 62-home Walnut Grove plan after airport noise safeguards
Summary
The City Council approved a preliminary development plan amendment and official development plan for Walnut Grove, a 62-unit single-family attached community at 108th Avenue and Wadsworth Parkway, with noise mitigation and public-infrastructure improvements included.
The Westminster City Council on July 14 approved a preliminary development plan amendment and an official development plan for the Walnut Grove planned unit development, clearing the way for 62 single-family attached homes at 9000 W. 108th Ave.
City planning staff recommended approval, citing the project’s consistency with the municipal code and the city’s strategic plan priority for “access to opportunity.” John McConnell, the city’s planning manager, told council that the application had been properly noticed and that planning staff and planning commission recommended approval.
PulteGroup’s representatives said the project responds to neighborhood concerns and includes site and infrastructure upgrades. “We’re really excited about this project,” Ben Jonk, a forward planner for PulteGroup, said during the applicant presentation. The developer described four floor plans, two-car garages, full basements and energy features such as tankless water heaters and “solar and electric ready infrastructure.” Staff and the applicant said the homes would range from about 1,520 to 2,134 square feet and be priced “starting in the low $600,000s and up to the mid-$600,000s,” depending on floor plan.
The site plan includes two internal parks, improvements to the bus stop on Wadsworth (a shelter, bench and trash receptacle), restriping and lane improvements on 108th Avenue to improve turning movements at Wadsworth, and pedestrian connections. The developer said it exceeded recommendations from the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport work group on window and disclosure requirements for noise mitigation.
Councilors asked about airport noise and disclosure. Marcus Pockner, the developer’s outreach consultant, said the team had worked with the airport and incorporated its recommended mitigation measures into the plan. “We are actually exceeding the recommendations from them on the noise level and the window requirements and the full disclosures when people know this at sale and closing,” he said. Pulte’s design lead added that all homes would include STC 28-rated windows to reduce exterior noise.
Council members praised the project’s scale, connectivity and the addition of “missing middle” for-sale housing. Councilor DeMott, who moved approval of both the PDP amendment and the ODP, said the plan reflected many council and neighborhood suggestions from concept review. Both motions passed on 7-0 roll-call votes.
Next steps: With council approval of the PDP amendment and the official development plan, the developer may proceed with final engineering and permitting consistent with the approved plans.
