Planning commission recommends approval of Adams Crossing land-use plan amendment

The Commerce City Planning Commission on Monday recommended City Council approve a land-use plan amendment requested by Adams Crossing LLC that would expand the city’s urban growth boundary and set the framework for annexing and developing roughly 23.7 acres at the northwest corner of East 120th Avenue and Chambers Road.

Quint Redmond, the applicant’s local project manager, told the commission the proposal splits the site into two parcels — a southern Parcel 1 of about 13.9 acres envisioned for C-2 commercial uses and a northern Parcel 2 of about 9.83 acres to remain agricultural — and that the commercial parcel could support about 55,000–65,000 square feet of retail or service space. “We had a utility study done by Caliber Engineering, and it was multiple millions of dollars to serve this corner with utilities,” Redmond said, explaining why annexation into Commerce City was the feasible path for utility service.

Planner Nathan Chavez told commissioners the applicant’s request would amend four maps in the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan (character areas, annexation and growth boundaries, the residential areas framework and the economic development framework) to incorporate the site into the urban growth boundary and align its designation with the Northern Range commercial concept. Chavez said staff found the proposed map amendments meet the approval criteria in the Land Development Code and recommended the commission forward a recommendation of approval to City Council.

Residents’ concerns, Chavez said, centered on traffic, noise, lighting, building height and how development might affect homes in the nearby Outlook subdivision. Staff and the applicant told the commission two neighborhood meetings were held (an annexation/zone-change meeting in August and a land-use plan amendment meeting in October) with 32 total attendees and 16 written comments. As a response to neighbor concerns, the applicant produced a concept plan that removes development immediately behind roughly 10 homes in the Outlook subdivision; staff said they expect to memorialize the applicant’s commitment on how to limit development north of East 121st Avenue in follow-up materials.

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on timing and scope. Chavez said annexation itself was not before the commission that night — only the comprehensive plan amendment was — and that annexation and zoning (annexation zone change) could come back to the commission as early as May, with the earliest development plan submittal possible in June or July and realistic construction possibly starting around 2027 if approvals and timelines remain on schedule.

Commissioner Eggleston moved that the commission find the amendment meets the code criteria and recommend approval to City Council; Commissioner Van Heusen seconded. The electronic vote passed 5–0.

The commission did not receive in-person or virtual public testimony on the night of the hearing. Staff will include the commission’s recommendation and the record from these hearings when the matter goes to City Council for final action.