Centennial staff review Midtown Centennial sub area plan ahead of consent‑agenda ratification

Centennial city planners presented a concluding update on the Midtown Centennial sub area plan on Dec. 9, emphasizing years of policy steps, market analysis and community outreach that staff say position the area for reinvestment. Senior planner David King told the council the plan is on the consent agenda for ratification at the regular meeting.

King said Midtown covers roughly 800 acres, about 170 parcels with some 140 property owners, and includes nearly 7 million square feet of office space and roughly 2,600 residential units today. He told the council that consultant work identified nearly 300 acres with redevelopment or reinvestment potential and used recent sales to illustrate changing office valuations: "The Arrow Building, which is no longer there, valued at $40,000,000, sold at $12,000,000 last year," he said, presenting those examples as market evidence for flexible future uses.

The plan, King said, aligns with the Centennial Next strategic plan and the city's goals for fiscal sustainability, mixed land uses and a stronger identity along the I‑25 corridor. He reviewed policy actions taken over several years: 2021 infrastructure investments, the 2023 adoption of Centennial Next and regulating plans, adoption of new zone districts including an Employment Center Mixed Use (ECMU) district, and recent council approvals converting about 50 acres through five rezoning actions to allow residential uses.

Staff highlighted several implementation tools and commitments already in place. King said the council approved a Midtown Centennial Overlay District that sets standards including minimum residential building heights along I‑25 and parking‑screening requirements, and that council recently approved amendments to a district regulating plan and an amended and restated development agreement that secure construction of the first public park in Midtown.

King summarized infrastructure work done to date: the city used remaining DOLA IHOP grant funds to complete a sewer capacity study with Southgate Sanitation District and "found no significant roadblocks" in sanitation capacity, he reported. He added that the city expects to conduct stormwater modeling next year and that staff are engaging the electric provider on power needs: "We will be engaging with them and having the conversations that now we have a plan in place," King said, also noting, "I won't speak for Excel's capacity or capabilities," when pressed about utility readiness.

Outreach and engagement were central to the presentation. King described a year‑long public process including newsletters to every household, social media, in‑person events (Centennial Summer Socials), an interactive "Map at Midtown" comment tool open for about ten months, presentations to business and civic groups, and meetings with 10 affordable‑housing developers to establish points of contact for future opportunities.

Councilors asked staff about implementation risks and market balance. Council member Sheehan queried electrical capacity and asked, "What is your confidence level that they will be able to provide the additional needed capacity in the areas where we need that in Midtown?" King said the plan gives the city leverage to lead conversations with the utility but declined to assert the utility's technical capacity. Mayor Pro Tem Saludam cautioned that local for‑rent multifamily supply may be approaching an oversupply and expressed hope for more for‑sale multifamily product.

King closed by framing Midtown as a long‑term, neighborhood‑focused vision and reminding the council that the sub area plan is presented for ratification on the consent agenda at the regular meeting. The study session ended with no substantive votes recorded during the session itself; the council adjourned.