Littleton panel raises Trailmark unit cap but stops short of rezoning after fiscal and safety concerns

The Littleton Planning Commission on March 23 approved an amendment to the Chatfield Activity Center comprehensive development plan that raises the maximum residential unit cap for the Trailmark area from 805 to 850, but it declined to recommend corresponding changes to the future land‑use map or a rezoning request after commissioners said they needed more fiscal and safety information.

Senior planner Terry Whitmore told the commission staff recommends the CDP amendment (PC Resolution 04‑2026) to accommodate potential single‑family small‑lot units on the remaining 7.6‑acre undeveloped parcel in Trailmark. Whitmore said the change reflects “changing conditions” — including slower-than‑expected commercial demand since COVID, coordination with Jefferson County under the intergovernmental agreement process, and environmental constraints related to the Chatfield Reservoir and Army Corps oversight. He said staff mailed 827 notification postcards to property owners and found no outstanding violations for the site.

The commission voted 6–1 to approve the CDP amendment; Chair Patrick Santana cast the lone no vote. The vote authorizes the increase in the CDP’s residential maximum from 805 to 850 units and forwards that amendment as the commission’s action on the CDP question.

The three requests heard together included (1) the CDP amendment; (2) a future land‑use and character map amendment…