Planning Commission backs Prospector at Evergreen rezoning despite residents’ traffic and drainage concerns

The Jefferson County Planning Commission on July 9 voted to recommend approval of Case 24-113723RZ, the Prospector at Evergreen Official Development Plan (applicant: Kim Harburg), which would rezone a 1.13-acre parcel at 31033 American Parkway in Evergreen to a new planned development allowing a vertical mixed-use building with ground-level office space (limited to 4,500 square feet of gross leasable area) and a maximum of 24 residential dwelling units above.

Case manager Alexander Folkes presented staff’s analysis that the proposal generally conforms to the Evergreen Area Plan and the Jefferson County Comprehensive Master Plan. Staff noted physical constraints do not prevent rezoning but identified wildfire risk and potential wildlife-habitat concerns that will trigger mitigation at the site development plan (SDP) stage. Folkes said transportation review by the county’s Transportation and Engineering division and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) found no current objection to the applicant's trip-generation memo; the staff presentation showed an accepted trip-generation scenario estimating about 211 average daily trips for the likely office-plus-residential configuration.

Nearby residents and adjacent businesses testified in opposition or with serious reservations. Shelley Fiedler told the commission the area lacks sidewalks, bike paths and public transit, questioned fire and emergency access widths, and pointed to a private engineer’s comment in the record that estimated more than 3,000 trips under older or broader-use scenarios; Jennifer Boone, owner of an adjacent commercial property housing a brewery, said the proposed building could obstruct a view and worsen drainage; Tracy (Casey) Boone raised safety concerns for schoolchildren, winter ice on a steep unmaintained private access road, and the potential for design elements that would encroach on existing parking.

Applicant representative George Sanderson and his team said much of the site’s infrastructure (curb, sidewalk, retaining walls and utilities) is in place, and that comprehensive engineering — traffic, drainage, fire access and pedestrian improvements — will be completed during the SDP process. Sanderson displayed concept renderings and a potential alignment for a minimum 4-foot sidewalk across the parcel. He also said the ODP specifically limits ground-floor commercial to general office uses and caps commercial floor area (4,500 sq ft) to reduce traffic-generation potential.

Commissioners questioned the difference in building-height measurement language between the original ODP and the proposed ODP (concern that measuring from finished floor in the new ODP could increase apparent height relative to original intent), and asked staff to ensure future SDP materials demonstrate that the project will meet fire, drainage and access standards. Several commissioners said the proposed ODP is more restrictive than a straight C-1 rezoning would be (staff noted straight C-1 could allow heights up to 60 feet), and several members noted that the new ODP adds a cap on residential units where prior ODPs had not.

Commissioner Spencer moved to recommend approval; after discussion and confirmation that outstanding technical issues will be addressed in SDP, the motion passed. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners for consideration at its upcoming hearing.