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Planning commission approves 164‑unit 55+ development with 42% parking reduction
Summary
The Castle Pines Planning Commission approved a site improvement plan for a 164‑unit active‑adult rental community (SIP 2025‑0001). Staff and the applicant said the project meets local standards; the commission voted unanimously with conditions including lot consolidation and final sidewalk grading review.
The Castle Pines Planning Commission voted to approve a site improvement plan for a 55‑and‑older rental community, a four‑story building totaling 164 units, after hearings on Aug. 28.
Senior planner Lisa Romelt told commissioners the proposal meets the city's five SIP approval criteria — consistency with the comprehensive plan, subdivision and zoning ordinances, mixed‑use design guidelines, technical design standards, and public health and safety goals — and recommended approval subject to standard conditions including payment of fees, correction of minor technical issues and recordation of a lot‑line vacation to combine two lots. Romelt said the project footprint covers roughly 4.7 acres in the Canyons planned development and will include amenity space, a pool and concealed resident parking.
Applicant Joseph Ryan, representing the development team, described the project as an active‑adult rental community oriented to Cross Canyon Trail, with 91 one‑bedroom and 73 two‑bedroom units. "This project's a 164‑unit multifamily development. That's an active adult community, so age restricted to 55 and older," Ryan said. He said the building is designed to pull the mass toward the trail and keep parking behind the structure with landscaped buffers and amenity space facing pedestrian routes.
A central issue in commission questioning was parking. The applicant requested a 42% parking reduction (providing 189 spaces) based on parking‑utilization data drawn from the applicant's portfolio and Institute of Transportation Engineers benchmarks; staff said the city traffic engineer reviewed and concurred with the analysis. Romelt told the commission the base parking requirement without reductions would have been 283 spaces.
After limited debate focused on sidewalk completion, grading and screening, a commissioner moved to approve SIP 2025‑0001 subject to staff conditions; another commissioner seconded. The clerk called a roll‑call vote with all members present voting yes. The approval is conditioned on required fee payments, resolution of minor technical issues before final filing, the lot‑line vacation to merge lots 1 and 2, and city review of final grading for sidewalk improvements along Castle Pines Parkway and Cross Canyon Trail.
The planning commission's decision allows the applicant to proceed with final engineering and filing the lot‑line consolidation and required minor site modifications.
