Planning commission adopts Midtown Centennial Subarea Vision Plan, sends it to council for ratification

The City of Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission voted Dec. 3 to adopt the Midtown Centennial Subarea Vision Plan, approving Resolution 2025‑PZ‑R‑07 and forwarding the plan to the city council for ratification on the council’s consent agenda.

David King, senior planner with the city’s economic development department, framed the plan as a response to shifting market conditions and said staff recommended adoption. “Staff does recommend approval of the resolution to approve the Midtown Centennial Subarea plan,” King told commissioners, calling the moment “one of the biggest nights in the history of planning for the city.”

King summarized the plan’s policy foundations — Centennial Max (the city’s comprehensive plan) and the city strategic plan — and described a framework approach developed with consultant Civitas that emphasizes flexibility, connectivity to the light rail and new public‑realm investments. He cited local market data to justify the effort, noting, for example, that a high‑profile office building that sold for $40,000,000 in 2019 changed hands for $12,000,000 last year as an indicator of weakening office demand.

The plan covers roughly 800 acres of Midtown, with staff reporting about 170 parcels, roughly 140 property owners, nearly 7,000,000 square feet of office space, approximately 1.7–1.8 million square feet of light industrial and retail, and about 2,600 existing residential units; staff identified nearly 300 acres with potential for reinvestment or redevelopment.

Among near‑term items King highlighted was the Midtown Green park and related entitlements: he said the city council approved a regulating plan and development agreement for the district the previous night and that entitlements and a construction commitment for the park are now in place. King also described a DRCOG‑funded study (procured through the regional process) to examine East Midtown land‑use questions and noted planned coordination with Centennial Airport on influence‑area maps and noise contours.

Commissioners commended staff outreach and probed implementation details. Questions focused on lessons drawn from other developments, design standards, whether the city’s branding package could include Midtown identity signs, and how the Cherry Creek School District views capacity given anticipated new housing. King said district leaders have not raised capacity objections and that detailed conversations about long‑term implications will continue.

Chair D Wiggins opened the public hearing; no members of the public spoke. Commissioner Lloyd moved to adopt the resolution; the motion was seconded (the transcript does not specify who seconded), staff called the vote, and the commission approved the measure by voice vote (tally not specified). King said the plan would appear on the city council’s consent agenda at its next meeting for ratification.

Miss Campbell reported that city council had approved the Jones regulating plan and development agreement the night before and that a Land Development Code amendment updating approval criteria for rezonings and site plans will take effect around the new year. The commission adjourned afterward.

The commission’s action consolidates the city’s guidance for Midtown by repealing two earlier subarea plans (the Arapahoe Urban Center plan, 2007, and the I‑25 corridor plan, 2013) and establishing the Midtown Subarea Vision Plan as the primary subarea framework. Further, staff said targeted subarea studies and implementation work — including code updates, rezonings and site‑plan reviews — will follow in coordination with the new city council and stakeholders.