Broomfield study session hears concept plan to add apartments and townhomes at Interlochen parcels

Broomfield City and County staff and a landowner team presented a concept plan on June 16 to amend the Interlochen Planned Unit Development to allow multiunit residential uses on two parcels at 100 and 115 Edgeview Drive. City staff emphasized this was a concept review only; no council vote or formal action was taken.

The staff summary, delivered by principal planner Judy Hammer, said the amendment would permit an additional 345 residential units, revise public land dedication (PLD) requirements, and update parking to align with the current Broomfield municipal code. Hammer noted the Interlochen PUD currently uses a PLD cash-in-lieu figure of $43,560 per acre; the municipal code calculation is approximately $86,000 per acre and would be applied at building permit.

The applicant’s team, led by attorney Carolyn White of Brownstein Hyatt and John James of JP Colorado Land (remote), presented illustrative site plans showing a potential townhome layout for the smaller 3.8-acre parcel and a multi‑family example for the 10-acre parcel (roughly 300+ units in the illustration). John James summarized the ownership history and market rationale, saying Interlochen’s original high‑tech office vision has not materialized: "In 26 years, we have sold just 25 acres...Interlochen is not and never, and likely never will be a high‑tech office park," he said, urging the council to consider residential as a realistic reuse.

The applicant also summarized a third‑party fiscal‑impact analysis (Pioneer Development) that projects a modest net positive fiscal effect—about $225,000 over 25 years—driven by one‑time permit and construction revenues and ongoing property taxes. City staff and the city’s fiscal model use different assumptions and methodologies; staff officials told council differences center on how much local retail spending and city service costs are attributed to the new households and on whether units would be income‑restricted. Staff said using the city’s model the conversion could produce a negative fiscal impact over comparable time frames, depending on assumptions.

Councilors pressed the applicant and staff on several recurring concerns: airport noise and aviation compatibility, the PLD calculation and timing, whether the site qualifies as transit‑oriented development (staff: it does not under the current comprehensive plan), realistic vacancy and market assumptions for class‑A office in Interlochen, and whether mixed‑use or retail anchored approaches could be viable. Planning director Lynn Merwin and other staff said the property is designated mixed‑use commercial in the comprehensive plan and that the airport’s comment letter recommends mitigation measures if developed as residential, including disclosure notices for future residents and building upgrades to achieve roughly a 25‑dBA exterior‑to‑interior reduction.

Public comment produced mixed reactions. Andrea Fetchko, a Camden Flatirons resident, urged the council to preserve open space and said recent nearby construction has not lowered rents for longtime neighbors. Another caller, Zach Whitaker, likewise warned of added traffic and suggested mixed‑use options; by contrast, resident and broker Seth Patterson told the council he supported converting persistently vacant parcels to housing and noted that some of the units could be income‑aligned or accompanied by a cash‑in‑lieu contribution.

Council members repeatedly emphasized that no decision will be made at the concept review stage. Staff reiterated next steps: if a formal application is submitted it will go through the full approval path, including a neighborhood meeting, land‑use review commission hearing and a council hearing; the applicant said it will coordinate with staff on PLD, mitigation, and required FAA/airport filings. The council recessed for 10 minutes following the concept discussion and did not vote on the proposal.

The council may receive a formal application and additional fiscal and design details at a later meeting, at which point the public‑comment and hearing processes will resume.