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Petition to rezone West 21st Street parking lot continued after debate over density and compatibility
Summary
A proposal to rezone 0.4 acre at 1137 W. 21st St. from I2 to D8 and build roughly 10 units was continued to Feb. 20, 2025, after staff said the project’s density and design were out of scale with neighborhood guidance.
The hearing examiner continued a rezoning petition for property at 1137 West 21st Street to the Feb. 20, 2025 hearing after finding unresolved concerns about density and design compatibility.
Petitioner and proposal: Riverside Renewal LLC asked to rezone three parcels totaling 0.4 acre (2024 ZON 137) from I2 to D8 to allow construction of two four-unit buildings and one two-unit building, a total of 10 residential units. Petitioner representative Josh Smith and owner/developer Alex Gifford said the site is currently paved and used for commercial and industrial storage and argued the D8 rezoning would create a transitional buffer between heavy industrial uses to the east and single-family homes to the south and west.
Staff recommendation and concerns: Planning staff recommended denial, citing the neighborhood plan’s guidance (recommended density roughly 3–5 units per acre) and the project’s proposed density in the 20–25 units-per-acre range. Staff also noted that submitted elevations and the massing would not meet neighborhood infill guidelines and questioned whether the proposal could satisfy floor-area and livability ratios required in D8.
Public input and next steps: Riverside Renewal asked for and received a continuance to Feb. 20 to give the team time to explore lower-density alternatives, updated elevations and commitments to administrator review of final site plans. The hearing examiner agreed to continue the item with staff’s consent. The petition will return for further review on Feb. 20, 2025.
Technical details: The petitioner said two of the prior proposed 12 units were removed, bringing the plan to 10 units. Petitioner representatives said they are willing to revise building elevations to better match neighborhood character; staff suggested the petitioner may need to reduce unit count or change building types to satisfy plan guidance.
What’s next: The case will be re-noticed and heard again on Feb. 20, 2025; staff and the petitioner will continue consultations on site plan, elevations and appropriate density for the block.
