Denver Community Planning & Housing Committee Meeting - March 3, 2026

The Community Planning and Housing Committee of the Denver City Council met on March 3, 2026, at 1:30 PM to consider three rezoning items. The committee approved two map amendments and forwarded a large legislative rezoning to the full council. Chair Sarah Parady presided, with 8 members present.

Consent Calendar

• No consent items were considered.

Public Comments & Testimony

• For the first item (3601 N Monaco Street), staff reported that two neighbors supported the rezoning, one opposed, and several did not respond. A letter of support from the Northeast Park Hill Coalition was submitted.
• For the second item (2625 East 3rd Avenue), staff noted one letter of support from the Cherry Creek North Association, five comments in opposition (two from the same individual) citing height, traffic, and buffering concerns, and four comments in support.
• For the legislative rezoning (Far Southwest Area Plan), staff reported two emails from gas station workers concerned about a flavor ban (separate from rezoning), an email from an industrial property owner concerned about market viability, and a concern from a Bear Valley property owner about the drive-through restriction.

Discussion Items

• 26-0206 (3601 N Monaco Street Parkway): Joe Green from Community Planning and Development (CPD) presented a rezoning request from E-SU-Dx (single-unit, 6,000 sq ft minimum lot) to E-TU-C (two-unit, 5,500 sq ft minimum lot) on a vacant 6,000 sq ft lot in Northeast Park Hill (Council District 8). Staff recommended denial, finding the rezoning would depart from the existing zoning pattern (E-SU-Dx) without sufficient neighborhood input or plan guidance to establish a new pattern. The Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval, noting the Park Hill Neighborhood Plan supports a mix of housing types and that duplexes were historically considered single-family under R2 zoning. Councilmember Lewis questioned why the existing built environment (eight duplexes on the block) was not considered. Chair Parady noted the plan's language about protecting single-family character could include duplexes, as evidenced by the 2010 downzoning from R3 to R2. The committee voted 7-0 to approve.
• 26-0207 (2625 East 3rd Avenue): Will Prince from CPD presented a rezoning from CCN with Conditions to C-CCN-4 on a 19,000 sq ft commercial site in Cherry Creek (Council District 5). The property is currently office and retail; the applicant seeks to redevelop as mixed-use condominiums. The existing condition (a 29-ft buffer for a potential dance studio expansion) would be removed under the new zoning. Caitlin Quander (applicant's counsel) described a signed community benefits agreement with the neighborhood association including enhanced landscaping, restricted commercial uses, and no upper-story balconies on the north side to buffer the protected residential district. Staff recommended approval. The committee voted 7-0 to approve.
• 26-0208 (Far Southwest Area Plan Legislative Rezoning): Libby Glick from CPD presented a large-scale rezoning covering properties in Council District 2 (Harvey Park, Harvey Park South, College View, South Platte, Bear Valley, Fort Logan, Marston). The proposal rezones old-code and commercial corridor properties to new suburban mixed-use districts (S-MX-3A, S-MX-12A, S-MX-3), industrial properties to I-A (light industrial, no residential), and one park to OS-A. The rezoning implements the Far Southwest Area Plan (adopted December 2025) by promoting pedestrian-friendly design, limiting drive-throughs on Federal/Evans/Sheridan, and preserving industrial land along the river. Staff noted capacity constraints prevented inclusion of old-code residential properties. Councilmember Flynn, the applicant and district councilmember, expressed full support. The committee voted 7-0 to forward to the full council.

Key Outcomes

• 26-0206: Approved 7-0 to rezone 3601 N Monaco Street from E-SU-Dx to E-TU-C.
• 26-0207: Approved 7-0 to rezone 2625 East 3rd Avenue from CCN with Conditions to C-CCN-4.
• 26-0208: Approved 7-0 to forward the Far Southwest Area Plan legislative rezoning to the full City Council for a public hearing scheduled for mid-April 2026.