Westminster planning panel recommends removing required ground-floor commercial at Uplands C1B and C1C

The Westminster Planning Commission voted unanimously Feb. 11 to recommend that City Council approve a comprehensive plan amendment and an amendment to the Uplands preliminary development plan to change Planning Area C1B and C1C from commercial mixed use to urban multifamily, removing the requirement that new multifamily buildings include a specific amount of ground-floor commercial space.

The change would not alter the approved density or height for the parcels: the existing PDP allows up to 300 residential units across C1B and C1C and building heights up to five stories would remain unchanged. City staff had recommended the commission hold the public hearing and recommend approval to City Council.

Commissioners and applicant representatives said the amendment responds to market conditions in the area. Nathan Lawrence, senior planner with the City of Westminster planning division, told commissioners that staff finds the proposed comprehensive plan amendment and PDP amendment generally meet the review criteria in the Westminster Municipal Code and recommended that the commission forward approval to council.

Marcus Pockner, land use and…