Committee advances rezoning for 2001 South Acoma Street to CRX‑5

The South Platte River Committee moved Jan. 14 to send a rezoning application for 2001 South Acoma Street to the full Denver City Council for consideration. Fritz Claussen, a planner with Community Planning and Development, told the committee the applicant requests a change from URH‑2.5 to CRX‑5 to allow additional residential and limited mixed‑use options on a 6,250‑square‑foot lot near the Evans Light Rail station.

Claussen framed the request as consistent with several adopted plans, including Comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver, and said the rezoning follows station‑area guidance that supports mixed‑use development and building heights up to five stories. He said the application received two planning‑board hearings (a Nov. 19 hearing and a rehearing on Jan. 7 after neighborhood notices were reissued) and that planning board recommended approval both times. Claussen said tentative scheduling aims for a full council hearing on Feb. 23, 2026.

Applicant Andy Olry told the committee that market conditions and an active tenant lease delayed progress after initial contact in February 2024, and that the project team restarted the process once they resumed active development planning. "When we initially bought the property, the market was in a different place," Olry said in explaining the timing.

Council members pressed the applicant on neighborhood outreach and feasibility. Multiple members referenced communication with the Overland Neighbors Association and asked for more direct engagement with the association president, Jen Grieving. Olry said much of that outreach had been conducted by his spouse and that he would reconnect with the neighborhood, provide the images he referenced in the presentation, and copy council staff on follow‑up.

Council members also questioned whether a small lot could realistically accommodate a five‑story building. Olry said CRX‑5 provides flexibility and that townhome or apartment forms would likely fall in the three‑ to four‑story range given setback rules adjacent to protected URH‑2.5 parcels.

After discussion, the committee chair requested a motion to move the application forward. The motion received a second (identified in the transcript as Councilwoman Alvarez) and the committee voiced agreement to advance the item to the full council. The transcript records a voice approval and does not show a roll‑call tally.

Next steps: staff and the applicant were asked to continue neighborhood outreach and to provide illustrative images for council review. The committee expects the item to be scheduled for a full City Council hearing on Feb. 23, 2026, per staff's tentative calendar.