Littleton commission approves reduced variance allowing 15-foot front setbacks at 7755 S. Santa Fe Drive

The Littleton Appeals and Adjustment Commission on a 3-1 vote approved a variance to allow a larger front setback for two proposed commercial buildings at about 7755 South Santa Fe Drive, reducing an applicant request from 25 feet to a 15-foot maximum.

Planning staff recommended approval, saying the application met the review criteria in the Unified Land Use Code. "After staff reviewed all of the information provided and the various site plan submittals and the survey that was provided, it's planning staff's opinion that this request meets the criteria within the code," said Jesse Sheets, Planner II in Littleton's Community Development Department.

The variance applies to two small shop buildings in the Evergreen development's "Lifestyle Block," a roughly 6-acre quadrant across from the RTD light-rail station that the applicant described as intended for restaurants, boutiques and services centered around a community plaza. Evergreen Development Company asked to change the Centimeters (corridor mixed) frontage requirement that normally sets a 0-foot minimum and a 5-foot maximum front setback to permit a larger maximum setback.

Applicant Jennifer Rolledin, development manager for Evergreen, told commissioners the request was driven by a preexisting 10-foot utility easement along the parcel frontages and the irregular geometry of the future rights of way and roundabout near Nichols Avenue and South Platte River Parkway. "I believe that our request to adjust maximum setback from 5 feet to 25 feet is a reasonable request, based on the conditions that are out of Evergreen's control at the moment," Rolledin said during her presentation. She noted the buildings as proposed would actually sit about 13 feet 5 inches and 14 feet 8 inches from the property line if measured from the closest building corners.

Members questioned whether the applicant's original 25-foot request was the "minimum necessary" under the variance criteria, noting that a margin-of-safety rationale could permit a larger allowance than strictly required. One commissioner said they were "doubting the minimum necessary" given the uncertainty that led to the 25-foot ask; another commissioner proposed a 15-foot maximum as a compromise that would still allow the proposed buildings to be constructed without returning for another variance.

During the public hearing, nearby resident Pam Chadbourne urged the commission to consider sightlines and pedestrian safety at the intersection, saying the proposed massing near a roundabout could obscure visibility. "This is a terrible design in terms of safety for transit, pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, bicyclists, and people in cars approaching this or going around the roundabout because it obstructs the view," Chadbourne said. Planning staff and the applicant said sidewalks, a cycle track and other pedestrian connections are being incorporated; staff also noted site-plan review remains pending and could require design changes.

After motions on the floor, commissioners first moved to approve the variance as drafted (5 feet to 25 feet), then struck that motion and amended it to change the maximum to 15 feet. The final vote on the amended motion was 3 in favor, 1 opposed; Vice Chair Evey registered the lone no vote. The commission approved the variance with the amended maximum setback of 15 feet measured from the property line to the closest corner of each building.

The approval does not finalize the site's detailed design. Staff explained that separate site-plan review remains in process, and that review could require adjustments to building placement, pedestrian circulation, location of trash enclosures and other details. The variance will "run with the land," staff noted, meaning it applies to the parcel unless changed by a future action.

Commissioners and staff also discussed longer-term code implications: planners said rising frequency of perimeter utility easements may require future refinements to the frontage standards in the Unified Land Use Code so the city can better reconcile utility needs with sidewalk, bike and storefront goals.

The commission closed the item and moved on to staff reports and administrative business.