Mountain Terrace Townhomes

June 15, 2023 Update: A new development application has been submitted for a concept review. This new applicant is the same applicant which held the June 7, 2023 neighborhood meeting. Please visit this BroomfieldVoice page to review the current proposal and for an opportunity to provide your feedback.

May 30, 2023 Update: This development proposal did not move forward and is archived. However, there is a new possible development for this site being proposed. The developer has named this the "Julian Lowell Townhome Project".An in-person neighborhood meeting is being held for the new proposed residential townhome development located on the southeast corner of Lowell Blvd. and Midway Blvd. The development is proposed to include a total of 130 townhome units in a mix of three, four, five, six and seven-plex buildings. No formal application is submitted at this time, this meeting is occurring prior to the applicant submitting for a concept review.

New Neighborhood Meeting Location: Broomfield Community Center, 280 Spader Way

Meeting Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

Meeting Time: 6pm-7pm

Please contact Branden Roe, Principal Planner, at broe@broomfield.org if you have any questions.

Location: Generally on the southeastern corner of the Lowell Boulevard and W Midway Boulevard intersection

Project Type: Concept Review for Residential Development (Rental Townhomes)

Applicant: Midway and Lowell Investors LLC

Project Description: The applicant has submitted a conceptual proposal for a 101 unit townhome community on a 7.32 acre site located on the southeast corner of Lowell Boulevard and Midway Boulevard. The units are proposed to be a mix of 2 and 3 bedroom unit within 3-story townhomes. The townhomes are planned to be located within 3, 4, 5, and 6-plex structures. The units are proposed to be alley loaded, and will be accessed by private drives through the Mountain Terrace commercial development and ultimately onto Lowell Boulevard.

The site is adjacent to two tracts of land which were previously dedicated to the City and County as public land dedication (north adjacent to Midway Boulevard, and east as a buffer between this site and the Columbine Meadows subdivision).

The site design incorporates an onsite detention pond on the northeast corner of the site, and a small neighborhood park generally located centrally in the community.

To view the full submittal please download the concept review packet within the document library.

Previous Development Proposal(s): In 2019 a development proposal for a cooperative style adult living community was proposed for this site. The adjacent neighborhood has a number of concerns with the development, including but not limited to: building orientation and height (increase from 35 feet to 60 feet), and the design proposal of a public trail between this site and the neighborhood (landscaping intent and possible privacy issues).

The staff memorandum from the August 20, 2019 public hearing for this prior proposal can be accessed here, Council voted to continue the proposal to September 23, 2019 to allow for findings for denial to be drafted.

On September 23, 2019, Council voted 6-3 to adopt the resolution to deny the request. The memorandum and resolution with findings for denial can be found here.

The applicant for this new request is not the same applicant as the previously denied request.

Consistency with Zoning and Comprehensive Plan: The property is zoned B-2-PUD, and there is an approved Planned Unit Development (PUD) Plan and Site Development Plan (SDP) for the site. The approved PUD and SDP were for a senior living community consisting of assisted living/memory care and independent living cottages. The current proposal is not consistent with the approved PUD and SDP, and should the project move forward would require an amendment to the PUD and a new SDP that replaces the current approval.

The underlying 2016 Broomfield Comprehensive Plan land use designation is
Mixed Use Commercial. Single-family attached and multi-family residential units are anticipated development types within lands designed Mixed use Commercial. As such, the proposal is consistent with the underlying comprehensive plan designation.

Consistency with Financial Plan: The property was anticipated to be developed for senior living options (independent living cottages, assisted living and memory care) which are non-commercial in nature. The property is proposed for a higher density, non-age restricted residential developmentnow which may result in an impact to the financial plan due to a shift from the assumptions built into the plan. Additional information will be provided to council as part of the concept review memorandum moving forward.

Public Land Dedication: Broomfield's Open Space and Trails Master Plan calls for 24 acres of public land dedication for every 1,000 residents generated by a development. The project is anticipated to generate 253 residents, and a public land dedication obligation of approximately 6.07 acres. Residential developments are required to provide 25% of their site as public land dedication. As such, the developer is required to dedicate a minimum of 1.83 acres of land for this project. As part of the original approvals, approximately 2.09 acres of land were dedicated. As such, the minimum on site dedication has been satisfied, and the developer's remaining approximately 3.98 acre public land dedication obligation can be satisfied through additional land dedications, cash-in-lieu or a combination thereof.

Inclusionary Housing Obligation: Section 17-76 requires that any residential development to be marketed as "rental" to pay an inclusionary housing fee equal to 20% of the final unit count, calculated using the proportionate share of unit sizes within the overall development. Based on the 101 residential units proposed, the development would have an obligation equivalent to 20 units. The applicant has noted that they plan to satisfy this obligation by making a cash-in-lieu payment. The total cash-in-lieu value will be determined at the time of permitting, and the amount will be for the 20 units at the appropriate ratio as established by the BMC.

Anticipated Variances/Amendments

• Amendment to PUD Plan - need to need to expand PUD Plan area and modify allowed uses, development standards, and density
• Possible setback variances

Potential Key Issues/Comments:
No specific key issues have been identified at this time; however, below are some topics which may be identified as key issues as part of staff's memorandum moving forward.

• Prairie Dogs - There is a sizable, well established prairie dog colony located on this property which has spread onto adjacent properties as well. Should the development move forward, the applicant would need to coordinate with Open Space and Trails on appropriate prairie dog mitigation strategies.

• Surrounding Neighborhood Concerns - In 2019 a development proposal for a senior cooperative living facility was proposed for this site and was subsequently denied. The adjacent neighborhood had raised concerns which were incorporated into the findings for denial. These concerns included: issues with the building's design and orientation particularly related to the building height (proposed increased from 35 feet to 60 feet) and possible obstructions of views, and the possible impacts that the anticipated trail connection between the neighborhood (loss of privacy and visual impacts due to the landscaping proposal).

• Financial Impact - The project area has existing approvals (PUD and SDP) for an adult living community (assisted living, memory care, and independent living cottages), this new proposal is for a more dense, non-age restricted residential neighborhood. The shift in development proposal may result in a change from the assumptions previously used to build the financial plan and could result in a negative impact the community's financials, a discussion on potential impacts will be included as part of staff's memorandum to City Council.

• Inconsistency with Zoning and PUD Plan - The current proposal is a change from the previously approved senior living community (assisted living, memory care, and independent living cottages). Should this project move forward, it would require an amendment of the established PUD Plan and a new SDP in order to make this development consistent with both elements.

Project Status:
This project completed the Concept Review stage and the developer is not moving forward with this proposal. Any future development proposals will have a unique BroomfieldVoice page.