Littleton NextGen board prioritizes housing review, Project Downtown and staff briefings

The NextGen advisory board for Littleton City on May 1 set housing policy and Project Downtown as its primary priorities for the coming months and asked staff to provide targeted briefings to inform specific recommendations.

The board’s chair opened the meeting by saying the “high level goal for tonight is essentially strategic priority goal setting,” and members discussed focusing first on housing policy and zoning issues, followed by Project Downtown and targeted economic-development work. Several members recommended asking city staff to present the city’s current housing programs and incentives so the board can shape realistic advice to City Council.

Board members said housing issues the group could influence include the city’s response to the state-mandated ULUC/ADU changes, local grant or incentive programs for homeowners and businesses, and redevelopment projects already advancing through the planning process. Alex (board member) proposed producing a “proposal for or an amendment to a proposal” on the Geneva Village project as an achievable near-term task; several other members urged the board to pair presentations with short lists of written questions for staff.

City staff and advisors who spoke at the meeting described how the board could engage. A city staff member suggested inviting the housing policy analyst to present existing policy tools and the economic development team to describe the city’s incentives program. Julie (housing policy analyst, City of Littleton) was named as a likely presenter. The board asked staff to invite those presenters for the June meeting and to circulate the tentative City Council agenda so members can track time-sensitive items.

Project Downtown, a multi-part capital program the city previously discussed at a much larger scale, also drew sustained attention. Staff said a full-buildout figure of about $160 million has been discussed historically, while a more recent framing for Council had focused on a smaller package in the $35 million range; members flagged timing and financing (general obligation bonds and other debt vehicles) as items they will watch as the capital timeline firms up.

Other topics the board flagged for future work include the Littleton Boulevard sub-area plan, transportation and safer-streets initiatives, and a planned Urban Land Institute (ULI) review of the Geneva Village / northern entrance redevelopment. The board agreed to a working rhythm: short research by individual members, two or three meetings per priority to gather staff briefing and discussion, then a focused deliverable (for example, a two-page recommendation to City Council).

No votes or formal motions were taken at the meeting. Board members asked that individual research questions and suggested presentation topics be sent to the board liaison so staff can compile a single set of questions to give presenters in advance. The board set June as the next milestone for targeted housing and ULI updates and tentatively scheduled a budget overview and Project Downtown briefing for later in the summer.