Approves a rezoning of 8175 Lowry Boulevard from B-3 with waivers to C-MX-3 in Council District 5.   (LAND USE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE) Approves a rezoning of 8175 Lowry Boulevard from B-3 with waivers (Commercial Retail) to Urban Center Mixed-Use three stories (C-MX-3) in Council District 5.   A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS AFTER PUBLICATION. The Committee approved filing this bill at its meeting on 5-6-14.
Why, certainly, Madam President, I move that council bill 37 be placed on the floor upon final consideration. Do pass. Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. The public hearing for Council Bill 370 is open. May we have the staff report, Mr. Neely? Thank you, Madam President. Good evening. Members of Council. This is an official zone map amendment or rezoning. At 8175 East Lowry Boulevard. The request has risen from P3 with waivers to see AM x three. The subject site is located in East Denver in Council District five in the Lowry Field neighborhood, also referenced as the Lowry neighborhood. The subject site itself is on Lowry Boulevard between Rampart and until way is two acres and is owned by the Hospice of Metro Denver. The representative representative of Jonathan, who has the property under contract. Both of them are here tonight. The request again is free zone from V3 with waivers to see x3c mixed freeze urban center neighborhood context. MLK stands for mixed use and three means a maximum of three stories is allowed existing context the zoning for the surrounding site there see max five there see max eight there's open space and b three with waivers in the general vicinity. Building heights range from 1 to 3 stories. The primary and side street setbacks are minimal in the immediate area. Typically, the parking is to the side or the rear of the structures or under the structures. This is a land use, existing land use map. As you can see, the site is vacant. There's residential, multifamily, residential behind the site office retail commercial to the southwest. It's across the street from the open space and then along Academy Boulevard, entertainment culture, cultural lesson. So the top picture is a picture of the site itself. In the foreground is the vacant site. In the background is the multifamily hangar lofts. The picture below that would be a medical office. But the bottom picture is the hospice of Denver process to date went to planning board on April 16th where they unanimously recommended approval, went to a ludy May 6th, your council on the 13th, first reading on the 19th of May and we're here tonight. Public outreach today notification was sent to all RINO's. Throughout the process, signs were posted on the property announcing planning board and announcing this public hearing tonight. One letter of support was received from Lowry United Neighbors, and that should be in your packet. There are five review criteria in the Denver zoning code. The first is consistency, with adopted plans for three plans relate to the subject site. Plan 2000 recommends promoting infill development and mixed use communities, increasing density and more amenities that broadens the variety of compatible uses. Blueprint Denver recommends employment for this site. Employment areas contain office warehousing, light manufacturing, high tech industries. SIMEX three would allow all of those uses. It is within an area of change and all of Lowry is within an area of change. In fact, there are three area types of areas of change in Blueprint Denver. There's downtown, there's Lowry, Stapleton and Gateway, which were all large. Large infill sites within Denver and then other areas of change where land use and transportation are closely linked. So this falls into our blueprint. Denver talks at length about the redevelopment of the Lowry site and rezoning to see who makes three will implement those recommendations. Lowry Boulevard This reclassification as a mixed use arterial. The Lowry reuse plan adopted in 1993 prior to Blueprint Income Plan recommends employment campus calls for educational, cultural, recreational, business and training uses. SIMEX three will allow all of those uses, and the urban design recommendations include creating an urban setting and eliminating or mitigating the negative visual impacts associated with large re-use or redevelopment of sites such as visible parking. Cemex three requires that there is no parking between the street and the building. It is required to be to the side or rear or under or within foot. So he finds that this rezoning is consistent with adaptive plans. He finds the development of the civic site under Cemex three will result in the uniform application of zoned district building form, use and design regulations. CVD finds rezoning to Cemex three will further the public health, safety and welfare of the city through the implementation of adopted plans, the justifying circumstances as a change or changing condition. CV CV defines this criterion is met as the rezoning will allow the continued transition of the area change and implementation of adopted plans. The changes and new investment occurring in the Lowry area justify updated zoning that will encourage redevelopment consistent with adopted plans, and the proposed rezoning would lead to development that is consistent with the neighborhood context, description and zoned district purpose and intent based on the Denver Zoning Code criteria for review. CBD recommends approval for this rezoning. Thank you, Mr. Nelly. We have two speakers, Mr. Bob Gallagher. Madam President, members of council. Good evening. My name is Bob Garlic. My address is 609 South Galen Street in Denver. I am here this evening representing a hospice of Metro Denver, the property owner for this map amendment. This is kind of interesting. This is one of the first two sites we re zoned that Lowry in the mid 1990s. And here we are coming back almost 20 years later. The strategy we used at that time for zoning property was to select the handful of uses that we thought might develop over time and eliminate the rest of them through waivers. So while this is a senior housing project, senior housing is permitted in the B three. We didn't wave that out, but assisted living was waived out. And so our project has a memory care component to it, which we need the assisted living for. So that's what brings us here tonight. We think that this is a very, very good use for this area. It's a very compatible use with hospice, which is right next door as well as some of the other residential areas. This is a very low traffic generator, very quiet use, just appropriate for this particular site. We started with the CSX five because the zoning next to us is already a mixed five. But after meetings with neighborhood groups, specifically Lowry United Neighbors, they suggested that we drop it to see Max three, which we did, and that resulted in a letter of support from their R and oh. So we have unanimous support from the planning board, from CPD and a letter of support from Laureen and neighbors. And I ask you for your support as well, and I'll answer any questions you may have. But thank you, Mr. Gorelick. Jonathan Griffis. Madam Chair, members of the Council, my name is Jonathan Griffiths. I live at 1374 East Kaylee Drive in Centennial, Colorado. I am a principal of Buccaneer Development. We are the developer of the project. And we are buying the property from the hospice of Denver, as you've heard here previously. Our plan is for a two story building that would be dedicated to the use of assisted living and memory care. We're still finalizing the site. Plan, but we're looking at somewhere between. 75 and. 90 units total. The site is basically the. Density of the site is driven by the parking requirements. As you all well know, and whatever the ultimate number of units that we decide to develop for the entire project will be self parked on our site. So we are excited about the opportunity here. We think it's a great use for the property and I appreciate your your review and approval of it. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr.. Has questions from counsel. And seeing none. I'm going to close the public hearing and take comments by members of council. I urge my council members to vote for this. This is a very appropriate use for the area which they are going to develop and has the support of the neighborhoods. And I thank you for your good work with the neighborhoods. Okay. Moved and seconded. Any other comments? Don't see any. Madam Secretary, welcome. Madam President, high growth from our father. I heard in I can eat. Layman Lopez. Monteiro Nevitt. I Ortega. I Rob. I Shepherd. I Madam Secretary, close the voting. Announce the results. 30 Nice. 13 Eyes. The zoning is passed. Congratulations. All right, our next hearing is Councilman Books. Will you please put Council Bill 371 on the floor? Yes, ma'am. Check one. Yeah. Yes, Madam President. I put Council Bill 371 on the floor to be placed upon final consideration and do pass.