UCHealth Broomfield North Campus SDP/Final Plat

This is a new development proposal! This project is currently under review and will be scheduled for hearings in accordance with the application review process timeline. This page can be utilized to stay up to date with the proposal and provide feedback on the request.

Project Overview

The applicant has submitted a new development application for a proposed Final Plat and Site Development Plan related to a new hospital and medical office building campus. The project is located on an approximately 110-acre site on the northwest corner of the I-25 and CO 7 interchange.

The Final Plat included in this application would replat Northlands Filing No. 1 Replat B to Northlands Filing No. 1 Replat C. The applicant’s final plat vacates the previously dedicated easements and dedicates new easements based on the new lot configuration. The new subdivision replats the existing three lots and one tract in Northlands Filing No.1 Replat B into four lots and one tract.

The applicant’s Site Development Plan (SDP) focuses on the development of an approximately 367,000 square foot, 140-foot-tall hospital and an approximately 169,000 square foot, 84-foot-tall medical office building located on Lot 1 of the subdivision. The SDP not only includes the vertical building construction, but also includes necessary horizontal infrastructure (parking, drive aisles, drainage and detention, etc.). Specific elements of the SDP are discussed in greater detail below.

Project Details

Applicant: UCHealth
Location: Generally located on the northwest corner of the I-25 and CO 7 interchange.
Project Type: Final Plat and Site Development Plan

City and County Staff Analysis

Zoning, Surrounding Uses and Comprehensive Plan:

Zoning
The property is zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD) and is currently governed by the 2nd Amendment to the Northlands PUD Plan. The Northlands PUD Plan divides the property into three parcels. Parcel A (+/-45.6 acres) and Parcel B (+/- 18.2 acres) are located adjacent to CO 7 and are designated as Commercial, while Parcel C (+/-52.2 acres) is located north of Parcels A and B and is designated as Mixed Use.

All three of these parcels allow for a mixture of uses, including (but not limited to) office, retail services, lodging, hotel/conference center, entertainment and recreation, medical and dental offices, retail (inline and pad sites), restaurants (sit-down and drive-thru), banks, and grocery stores. Parcel C allows for residential uses, including single-unit attached, four-plexes, multi-unit, and various types of senior/assisted care facilities.

The applicant has submitted a separate development application for a proposed Third Amendment to the Northlands PUD Plan. The applicant’s current Site Development Plan is submitted based upon the assumption that their proposed PUD Plan Amendment will be approved. The applicant’s proposed PUD Plan Amendment is limited to just creating a specific parking ratio for medical office and hospital uses, and establishing a maximum building height for medical offices and hospitals of 150 feet in the Northlands development. The PUD Plan Amendment is anticipated to be reviewed and considered for approval or denial by the Land Use Review Commission and City Council later this year, but prior to the hearings for this final plat and SDP. There is a separate BroomfieldVoice page for that project.

Surrounding Uses
The subject property is located adjacent to I-25, north of CO 7. To the east of the site is I-25 and vacant land within the City and County of Broomfield to the east of the interstate. To the south of the project area is CO 7 and vacant land within the Baseline development on the south side of CO 7.

To the north and west of the site are portions of the Palisade Park development. To the north of the subject property is a park, and vacant land within the Palisade Park development. These vacant lots include approved residential units (Brownstones Phase II) and additional areas envisioned for non-residential uses. To the north of these vacant lots is the SunCap flex industrial development. To the west is a 216-unit apartment complex, a gas station, a fast food restaurant, and the Children's Hospital. There are also vacant lots.

Comprehensive Plan
The property is designated as Regional Commercial. Primary uses permitted within areas designated for Regional Commercial include regional shopping areas, discount/big-box retailers, travel commercial uses such as gas stations and hotels, auto related uses, entertainment, and residential. These areas are intended to allow for the most flexibility in uses and site design to spur innovation and economic development at key regional nodes. Heavy industry is not appropriate for these areas. Secondary uses allowed include Public/Quasi-Public and Open Land uses. The applicant's proposal is consistent with the anticipated uses in areas designated as Regional Commercial (hospitals are considered to be a Public/Quasi Public use).

Site Circulation, Parking and Multimodal Access:
The project's designed layout sites the proposed hospital and medical office building centrally on the site, on what would be Lot 1 of Northlands Filing No. 1 Replat C (the new subdivision proposed as part of this application). The campus will be accessed primarily by CO 7 to the south and through a proposed extension of W 169th Ave, which will internally connect to a campus ring road. The applicant’s project narrative states that this ring road configuration is intended to provide the North Metro Fire District access to the site, along with simplified wayfinding for patients and families.

The site plan also shows the various entrances for key program elements: main hospital entry; medical office building entry; emergency vehicle access (ambulance traffic); and emergency walk-in public access. The site circulation and conceptual site layout is shown below.

The project is proposing 764 parking spaces within the site for the hospital and medical office building. The site design shows that the hospital and medical office building are connected, and as such, the parking is anticipated to be shared between the users of both buildings. This proposed parking count is less than the maximum parking that would be allowed for the development based on the ratio proposed in their PUD Plan text amendment.

The applicant’s site development plan also shows that they are meeting the code requirement for on-site electric vehicle (EV) parking spaces and are providing both short-term and long-term bike parking facilities on-site. The Broomfield Municipal Code only requires short-term parking for bikes; the applicant is exceeding the minimum requirements of the code.

Roadways:
The plans and supplemental documents note that there is an intent to extend W 169th Avenue. The W 169th Avenue extension will be reviewed for compliance with Broomfield Standards and Specifications during formal application review.

During the applicant’s concept review, they showed a frontage road along I-25 as part of their site design. The applicant no longer shows their development utilizing the frontage road, but it is still depicted in its current existing configuration.

Landscaping, Open Lands, Parks and Trail Amenities:
The applicant notes that their overall site plan envisions a walkable, nature-integrated community, strengthened by a network of regional trails that connect north along CO 7 and extend to the northwest. These connections are complemented by a series of “green corridors” that create a continuous, park-like multi-use circulation route from the north to the south ends of the site, encouraging comfortable and intuitive pedestrian movement. To the west, future mixed-use development is anticipated to incorporate open green spaces, further enhancing the campus’s community-oriented character. The applicant’s site development plan integrates a number of trails throughout the property and provides connections to other trail networks existing in the area.

Proposed Architecture:
The applicant has described their proposed architectural and urban design concept as prioritizing site connectivity, pedestrian accessibility, and contextual compatibility with adjacent commercial and residential development. The site plan incorporates a system of pedestrian and multi-use pathways that connect the campus to adjacent trail networks, supporting multimodal circulation, public access, and integration with the surrounding urban fabric.

The proposed program includes a multi-story hospital with an integrated mechanical penthouse, designed to reflect the UCHealth brand while employing appropriate massing, scale, and architectural articulation consistent with the surrounding Broomfield context. The building architecture incorporates a mix of stone, brick, and metal panel materials. A conceptual rendering depicting the UCHealth brand is shown below.

Potential Deviations:
At the time of application submittal, the applicant had not identified any deviations or special exceptions. If any elements requiring deviations or special exceptions are identified during the development review process, those deviations/special exceptions will be identified in the staff memorandums for the Land Use Review Commission and City Council.

Possible Key Issues:
Based on the initial submittal materials, staff has not identified any key issues. If any elements rising to the level of key issue are identified during the development review process, those will be identified in the staff memorandums for the Land Use Review Commission and City Council.

Public Engagement

You can engage with this project using the Questions and Comments tabs below, by emailing planning@broomfield.org or by providing comments at a public hearing. All comments provided directly via email and through the Broomfield Voice will be added to the Land Use Review Commission correspondence folder and City Council correspondence folder as applicable. This folder will be reviewed by LURC and / or City Council in advance of any public hearings on the proposal.

Following the review of the formal application, public hearings will be scheduled in accordance with the application review process timeline. Public notices will be sent to property owners within 1,000 feet of this project, sign(s) will be posted on the property and a notice will be published in the Broomfield Enterprise newspaper. Members of the public can attend the public hearings and provide in person comments if desired.