ARVADA — A proposal to allow 85-foot-high buildings on a five-acre site near the foothills has drawn concern from residents and Arvada’s city staff members.
In January, a request for an exception to the city’s 35-foot building-height limit slipped through the city planning commission when it approved changes in the updated development plan for the Candelas project.
The development — formerly known as the Vauxmont, Cimarron Park and Engwis projects — sprawls from the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant south to Colorado 72 and from Colorado 93 east to Indiana Street.
Proposed for the 1,500-acre development are 7.2 million square feet of office, retail and industrial space along with 1,489 single-family detached homes and 3,185 single-family attached homes. A five-acre chunk — the only piece of the project west of Colorado 93 — is the sore spot.
On Monday night, the Arvada City Council is scheduled to consider the Candelas plan, including the height exception.
City officials said late Friday that the developers — Cimarron Commercial LLC, Arvada Residential Partners LLC and the Jefferson Center Metropolitan District — will ask to continue the matter until April 7.
“There are some minor housekeeping issues unrelated to the height exception being negotiated by the city and developers,” said Assistant City Manager Maria VanderKolk.
The minor issues, she said, include alignment of the beltway through Candelas. Completion of the so-called “missing link” has been controversial.
In a lengthy report, city staff members recommend against the height exception, saying it could have “a significant adverse effect on the views of the mountain backdrop. In addition, the character and mass of structures over 35 feet are not compatible with adjacent open space.”
VanderKolk said the planning commission had “some” discussion on the exception, “but not a whole lot of attention was paid to it” before the development plan was approved.
A large contingent of residents opposed to the height exception plans to attend Monday’s council meeting.
“The big issue is why are they building over there anyway?” said Tom Hoffman of Friends of the Foothills, which seeks to preserve open space and the mountain backdrop.
“Thirty-five feet is atrocious, and it is atrocious to the nth power the more stories they add,” he said.
Meghan Morrissey, a resident of Coal Creek Canyon to the west of Candelas, said she can see development of the area, “but not the way they’re going about it.”
Morrissey questioned whether Arvada residents know about the proposal.
“Do they really want to see eight- and 10-story buildings so close to the backdrop? I don’t think so,” Morrissey said. “They want smart growth, not obnoxious growth.”
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
