Broomfield hears concept review for 312-unit Integra Broomfield apartment proposal

Judy Hammer, principal planner for the City and County of Broomfield, opened staff’s summary of a concept plan for “Integra Broomfield,” a proposed 312-unit apartment complex at 11700 Ridge Parkway that would require a planned unit development (PUD) amendment, site development plan and final plat. Hammer said the proposal is currently inconsistent with the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Mixed Use Commercial designation and would increase residential land use within the Ridge PUD from about 44% to roughly 55% of the planning area.

Staff flagged several technical and policy issues the developer would need to address in later review stages. Hammer said the project as presented would result in a net annual revenue loss to the city of $210,000 and that the code’s income-aligned housing standard requires a minimum set of lower-AMI units unless the council approves an alternative agreement. “The applicant is proposing an alternative method to achieve Broomfield’s income aligned housing requirement,” Hammer said, but staff advised the developer to revise the plan to meet the 60% AMI requirement or provide an equivalent cash-in-lieu arrangement.

Developers from Integra Land Company (Ryan McDaniel) and DTJ Design (Brian Rickman) described site layout and design priorities including six apartment buildings, four carriage-house buildings, a clubhouse with pool, a dog park and a proposed 1.48 acres of on-site public land dedication (PLD). McDaniel said the initial parking count was 497 spaces; staff’s minimum calculation was 453 and maximum 566. McDaniel and Rickman said they are exploring ways to reduce parking and use trade-offs between parking and PLD to meet the PLD requirement. “We’re going to continue to gather feedback this evening and in the days and weeks to come,” McDaniel said.

Several members of the public and council members emphasized noise and safety concerns tied to nearby facilities. Roxy Chula, who identified herself as a neighbor and former user of the community garden on the site, urged mitigation for frequent aircraft and firing-range noise and asked that south-side buildings be well insulated. “So better installation is better, less complaints that we have,” Chula said. Jesse Applegate of Country Estates referenced Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) operations and emergency landing concerns, saying the site sits near training flight paths and that those risks should be weighed in any residential approval. A resident from the Stonegate Apartments raised concerns about waivers, the PLD reduction and the project’s sustainability commitments.

Council members focused questions on noise mitigation beyond the required 25-decibel construction attenuation, the mix and depth of affordable units, PLD layout and fiscal consequences. Council members asked whether the developer would consider LEED certification or solar panels and whether the deed-restricted affordable units could be mixed across building types. The developer said they were “open to exploring” solar and accreditation where financially viable but cautioned that condos pose construction-defect and operational challenges for their team.

Hammer and other staff said next steps, if the project moves forward, include a neighborhood meeting, formal development review application for a PUD amendment and site development plan, and additional technical studies (including noise, drainage and sanitary service). Council did not take a vote on the concept review; the presentation was informational and intended to solicit feedback before any formal application is filed.

Key procedural next steps are a neighborhood meeting and a formal development review submittal (PUD amendment, site development plan, final plat). Staff told council they would follow up on questions about water pressure and coordination with Jefferson County and other agencies as the proposal advances.