Tue, May 12, 2026·Denver, Colorado·Council Committees

Denver Council Committee on Planning & Housing - May 12, 2026

Discussion Breakdown

Land Use Zoning46%
Historic Preservation14%
Affordable Housing10%
Economic Development6%
Transportation Safety5%
Procedural4%
Environmental Protection4%
Civic Infrastructure4%
Racial Equity3%
Engineering And Infrastructure2%
Community Engagement2%

Summary

Denver City Council Community Planning and Housing Committee Meeting - May 12, 2026

The committee met to discuss three action items: a rezoning to allow affordable housing in the Virginia Vale neighborhood, a large planned unit development for United Airlines in far northeast Denver, and a landmark designation for the home of former Mayor Wellington Webb and First Lady Wilma Webb. All three items received unanimous committee approval to advance to the full council.

Rezoning for Affordable Housing at 831 South Monaco Street

  • Discussion: Staff from Community Planning and Development (CPD) presented a request to rezone 831 South Monaco Street from SMX-3A to SMU-3. The applicant, Catholic Charities Housing (represented by Justin Ratz), plans to combine this lot with an adjacent parcel to build 75 affordable housing units (30–60% AMI) using low-income housing tax credits. The existing 26 units will be replaced with a mix of one- to four-bedroom units, and residents will have a right to return under the Uniform Relocation Act. Councilmembers asked about relocation protections, unit mix, and community space. The project is consistent with adopted plans (Comprehensive Plan 2040, Blueprint Denver, Near Southeast Area Plan). Staff recommended approval.
  • Key Outcomes: The committee moved the rezoning to the full council with a unanimous vote (motion by Councilmember Sawyer, second by Councilmember Torres).

Rezoning for United Airlines Flight Training Center at 17671-17675 East 64th Avenue

  • Discussion: CPD staff (Tony Lechuga) presented a request to rezone 114 acres from former Chapter 59 districts to a Planned Unit Development (PUDG 40). The applicant, United Airlines (represented by Ryan Cordero and consultant Sean Maley), plans a phased development including a flight training center, with potential for up to 5,000 jobs. The PUD includes two sub-areas with building form and use standards, prohibits residential uses (due to airport overlay), and allows taller security fences. Councilmembers asked about infrastructure (power, water), transportation demand management, climate goals (United aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 and is working on sustainable aviation fuel), and pedestrian experience along 64th Avenue. The Far Northeast Area Plan supports employment centers on greenfield sites. Planning board recommended approval unanimously. One letter of support received.
  • Key Outcomes: The committee moved the rezoning to the full council with a unanimous vote (motion by Councilmember Alvidrez, second by Councilmember Sawyer).

Landmark Designation of the Wellington E. and Wilma J. Webb House

  • Discussion: Landmark Preservation staff (Abigail) presented the proposed designation of the Webb House at 2329 North Gaylord Street (Whittier neighborhood). The house, built in 1902, has been the home of former Mayor Wellington Webb and First Lady Wilma Webb since 1971. It meets three criteria: association with influential persons (B), architectural style of the Denver four-square (C), and association with social movements and patterns of growth (J) – including civil rights activity and black political leadership. Councilmembers expressed strong support, noting the importance of recognizing diverse history and the updated 2019 criteria that made this designation possible.
  • Key Outcomes: The committee moved the landmark designation to the full council with a unanimous vote (motion by Councilmember Torres, second by Councilmember Alvidrez).

Meeting Transcript

Please. Why I need to know. There it is. We're on air. All right. Welcome to the community planning and housing committee of Denver City Council. We're feeling a little punchy today in the room. It is Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 at 1.30 p.m. We'll start with introductions. I'm Sarah Parity, counselor at large and chair of the committee, and I'll go to my left. Wow. Alright, and we have to sawyer, district five. I don't want to find District 9. Jamie Torres. Denver District 3. I'm really I'm here. Good afternoon. Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4. That is lucky to strike 7. Great. And I'm pausing in case we have any council members online. We do. Oh, this there she is. Hi, Councilmember Chunk and Liz, District 8. Great. I think that is all of us. And so we have three action items on deck today. So we'll try to keep them to 30 minutes each. Uh, starting with uh Joe from CP from CBD with a rezoning at 831 South Monaco Street. 260608. Hello everyone. My name is Joe Green. Thank you. And as you said, we're looking at a rezoning at 831 South Monaco. We'll run through the request and then provide a little bit more information about the location, go through the process that the application's been through thus far, and then look at the review criteria. So the applicant's requesting to go from SMX3A to SMU3. I have a little more information about the difference between those in a couple slides. The property's just over 7,000 square feet and currently has a single unit house on it. So this is the zoning map. You can see it's SMX3A to the south and across the street, and just to the north is that single or the multi-unit three. The applicant owns kind of the parcel they're requesting to rezone and the parcel just to the north, and they're hoping to combine those parcels and redevelop both. So this is part of the AHART program. They are the units on that northern lot where the multi-unit currently exists. The goal of the applicant is to build 75 units with a mix of AMI from 30 to 60%. And they are applying for low-income housing tax credits later this summer. So the SMX 3 means suburban, mixed use, three stories. The A in this instance denotes design standards that basically encourage pedestrian-oriented environments. That allows a couple different building forms. So getting into the location, this is in Council District 6, but it's just across the street from Council District 5. So then Washington, Virginia Vale neighborhood.