Planning commission backs Dayton Station rezoning to multifamily, citing state transit goals

Arapahoe County’s Planning Commission on Dec. 2, 2025, recommended approval of CZ25-001, a conventional rezoning for the Dayton Station property, by a 4–0 vote. Staff said the rezoning (A‑1 to Residential Multifamily) would permit a future townhome community of roughly 92–94 for‑rent units and would help the county meet state transit‑oriented zoning goals identified in recent legislation.

Kat Hammer, Arapahoe County Public Works staff, told commissioners the property is approximately 6 acres adjacent to the Dayton Station Park & Ride and was de‑annexed from Greenwood Village in 2024, leaving a default A‑1 zoning. Staff summarized outreach (an August neighborhood meeting, mailed notices within 500 feet), referral responses (fire district raised no objection; Cherry Creek School District said it has capacity), and noted open space requested cash‑in‑lieu at the time of administrative site plan review. Staff recommended approval with one condition that final documents be completed.

Applicant representative Alicia Quan Hammitt of Zipperline Strategies said Avanti Residential intends to develop a for‑rent townhouse community, provide on‑site management, bundled parking (garages bundled with rent), and security patrols. She said the developer expects to invest nearly $60,000,000 in the project and described the proposal as "missing middle" market-rate housing that helps the county meet state HB 241313 transit‑oriented objectives. When asked about rent levels, she said exact rents depend on construction costs and timing but estimated rents could be "probably like $2,400 or more a month" in roughly two to three years.

Several nearby residents testified during public comment, raising repeated concerns about traffic and overflow parking on South Dallas Street, the lack of alternative access points, and emergency response routing across jurisdictions. David Smith and other residents said Greenwood Village had turned a similar proposal down as recently as 2022, citing response-time concerns; residents urged the county and developer to explore access from Boston Street or Chester Way to reduce load on Dallas Street. Staff and the applicant said they had explored options; applicant said earlier designs had fewer units and lower parking ratios but were revised in response to outreach and that the current plan proposes more than two parking spaces per unit (including garages) to limit spillover.

Commissioner Save moved to recommend approval "based on the findings in the staff report subject to the following condition number 1," the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with Commissioners Howe, Saul, Sauve and Chair Morehouse voting aye (Miller and Lapsis absent/excused). The recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.

Next steps: If the BOCC approves the rezoning, the applicant must complete an administrative site plan (as the staff noted) addressing final layout, access, landscaping and any cash‑in‑lieu for open space; neighbors requested stronger attention to access and construction routing in subsequent phases.