Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has stepped in to ease tensions between landowners and city planners over how to develop the 4,500-acre Gateway area near Denver International Airport.
“Nine Denver Tech Centers can sit on the land mass out there,” said City Council president Michael Hancock, who represents the area and lives nearby. “This is Denver’s economic engine for the next 30 to 50 years.”
This past spring, 23 property owners in the area rebelled against Denver’s Department of Community Planning & Development, arguing that city officials were forcing an unworkable new-urbanism approach that emphasized pedestrian-friendly, densely compacted residential areas within walking distance of retail.
The landowners wanted more flexibility and objected to a street grid pattern the city had developed. The planners had improperly divided some tracts of land and prevented suburban-style housing in some instances, they said.
The struggle could impact the future shape and growth of Denver for years, for the Gateway area is the last large undeveloped area in the city.
The mayor dispatched his chief operating officer, Chris Henderson, to improve communication between city planners and the property owners.
“Frustration and chaos”
The mayor acted after Hancock sided with the landowners, sending a letter in May to Peter Park, the city’s planning director. Hancock also sent a copy to Park’s boss, Hickenlooper.
“It is clear that miscommunication has resulted in frustration and chaos,” Hancock wrote. “I believe the most prudent step at this time is to start the process over with new, aggressive strategies for engagement.”
In the letter, Hancock wrote that property owners had told him that at least one land deal for a proposed industrial warehouse fell apart because of fears about the city’s direction.
“Tens of millions of dollars in their minds has been flushed down the drain because the city has been promoting this plan,” Hancock said recently.
Park said the plan was never fully developed and was always considered a draft.
“It’s very clear to the planning department that this is a concept,” Park said.
He said he pushed for the new plans when he realized that the city’s last vision plan for the area was developed in 1991, before completion of DIA and before voters approved the $6.1 billion FasTracks, the nation’s largest transit expansion.
“The city can’t impose a plan,” said Park, who is now seeking new input. “We make recommendations. It’s the community’s plan.”
The area is uniquely poised for growth because it is near the airport, with nearly 30,000 employees, as well as the new Fitzsimons medical center in Aurora, which will have about 32,000 employees.
In addition, Park stressed that a FasTracks commuter-rail line soon will cut through the area, connecting downtown Denver to DIA, generating perhaps three transit stops.
“We want to leverage all that opportunity,” said Park, adding that Gateway could foster high-density, transit-oriented development and pedestrian-friendly communities.
There are also hurdles. Peña Boulevard is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration, which doesn’t want access to the airport choked, Park said. And funding exists for only one transit stop in the area along the commuter-rail line. Developers may want to build two other rail stops to spark growth, Park added.
Since May, Henderson and Hancock have been moderating new talks between city planners and landowners.
The outcome of the discussions could have ramifications for the future shape of Denver. It could help determine whether a series of business parks takes hold in the area, similar to what has grown in Las Colinas, a Dallas suburb.
Walking distance of retail
Or the area could end up looking more like nearby Green Valley Ranch, primarily suburban-style housing. Other approaches include developments similar to the Stapleton neighborhood or Belmar in Lakewood, where high-density residential is within walking distance of retail.
Left out of the discussions was Environment Colorado, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group.
“There are obvious impacts to whatever type of growth you are creating,” said Pam Keily, Environment Colorado’s legislative program director. “Things are at the breaking point with air-quality concerns and water-quality concerns.”
She said the city should push for commuter-friendly development that won’t strain already overburdened and congested roads.
“When we’re thinking of how we’re growing, we need to think about what is bringing people to Colorado and attracting people to Colorado in the first place,” she said.
Landowners report that tempers have cooled significantly since May.
“Everyone’s temperature has gone down about 50 degrees from where it was,” said Robert Sanderman, an executive vice president for Oakwood Homes, which developed Green Valley Ranch and owns nearly 3,500 undeveloped acres in Aurora.
Sanderman said Park now seems more flexible.
“The whole area can’t be new urbanism,” Sanderman said.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
