WESTMINSTER —The Westminster City Council will decide next month whether to approve a proposed street grid and park plan for the former Westminster Mall site, the backbone of the high-profile redevelopment project.
It will be one of the final acts of the current city council, which will say goodbye to at least three members almost immediately following the vote.
The final public hearing and vote on the downtown Westminster preliminary development plan is set for Nov. 11, the same night as the three council members elected Nov. 5 will be sworn into office.
Current councilors will vote on the plan that night before turning the meeting over to their successors.
Incumbents Scott Major, Mark Kaiser and Mary Lindsey were all term limited this year and could not seek re-election. Mayor Nancy McNally, the seventh vote on city council, is also stepping down due to term limits. She will be succeeded by councilor Lindsey, Bob Briggs or Herb Atchison.
So far, city officials have liked what they’ve seen when it comes to the plans for the 105-acre mall site.
On Oct. 28, the city council voted 7-0 on first reading to endorse the preliminary development plan.
The Westminster Planning Commission on Oct. 22 voted unanimously to recommend approval.
“I’m so excited about this project,” Commissioner Tracey Welch said. “It’s true Westminster is a beautiful suburban community, but suburbs are changing.”
As proposed, Westminster Boulevard would be realigned to run through the property and connect to the future RTD train station, one of two major north-south routes.
A second “green street” would parallel Westminster Boulevard to the east, with a large grassy median and quieter, “neighborhood” profile.
Three major, parallel streets would dissect the property from east to west, angled to take advantage of a view of Mount Evans.
Parks and open space are also included, with a public plaza near the middle of the site. The northwest corner of the property would be home to the development’s largest park, a 4- to 4.5-acre park for public gatherings and neighborhood use. A smaller park would be located on the northeast corner.
Strips along the far east and south sides of the property, nearest U.S. 36 and West 88th Avenue, respectively, would also be green space, accommodating both the U.S. 36 bike path and Allen Ditch.
Some commissioners, however, said they would like to see pedestrians get more priority in the project — possibly a pedestrian-only area like Boulder’s Pearl Street or the 16th Street Mall.
City staff has been working on the plans for the downtown center since late July with help from Torti Gallas and Partners, an internationally recognized urban-planning firm.
Westminster announced in June that it would not hire a private master developer for the project, electing instead to take on the planning process itself.
Following approval of the preliminary plan, city staff will go directly to work on the master official development plan, which will flesh out specifics like setbacks, building heights and architectural details.
The master plan could be completed by April, city staff said. It will be used to guide conversations with private developers interested in completing parts of the project.
“This is a really, really exciting thing for a community to try to create a cultural gathering location, a place that people believe is their own,” said Mac Cummins, city planning manager.
