Tuesday's mail-in vote by residents of Greenwood Village to overwhelmingly reject a city-council approved plan to allow mixed-use development at a light rail station is a major setback for smart growth proponents.
Residents of Greenwood Village, pop. 15,000, in Arapahoe County outside Denvery rejected by over 75 percent a general plan amendment approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council to allow mixed-used development at Orchard Station.
"A 'no' vote — no to the idea of amending the city’s comprehensive [or general] plan to encourage taller buildings and multifamily housing at the site — would have Greenwood Village bucking the trend of the last decade of embracing transit oriented developments," reports John Aguilar for The Denver Post on Monday, June 5.
Trail to the ballot box
"At issue is the draft Orchard Station Subarea [pdf] plan, an amendment to the city's comprehensive plan that would enable $1.4 billion in development on 44 acres near the Orchard Station on the RTD's E and F [and R] light rail lines," states a post in February by Planetizen editor James Brasuell on the controversial development.
"An updated version of the Orchard Station Subarea Plan was approved by the Council on a 5-3 vote on March 20, moments before council members unanimously decided to let voters make the final decision this summer on whether to adopt the plan," reported Joe Rubino in April for The Denver Post. Earlier, Mayor Ron Rakowsky had "vowed to veto the controversial land-use measure if the City Council adopted it."
On June 6, Rubino reports on the results. Did fear of urbanization motivate voters?
“It’s a clear mandate. There is no doubt about that,” Jerry Presley, a former City Councilman and one of the leaders of the opposition campaign, said Tuesday night. “I think we won this election for several reasons... It’s because we love our city and we don’t want it to be urbanized.”
Councilwoman Freda Miklin voted for the plan in March and defended it as a means to help alleviate the city’s traffic woes by making better use of light rail.
The developer, Greenwood Village-based Alberta Development Partners, took the defeat in stride. "Founding principal Don Provost applauded the level of civic engagement on both sides of the Orchard Station debate and made it clear his firm will continue to look at opportunities in the area."
Hat tip to Stephen Miller, Streetsblog USA.
FULL STORY: Greenwood Village Orchard Station plan defeated soundly
A Planning Controversy of the Transit Oriented Variety in Suburban Denver
A controversy has erupted over a proposed vision for transit oriented mixed in a Denver suburb.
Opening of Denver's B Line Bittersweet for Commuters From Northwest Suburbs
The 6.2 mile, two-station electrified commuter rail line is opening as expected next Monday, July 25, but future service to the northwestern counties of Broomfield and Boulder will be delayed due to an unexpected funding shortfall.
Alexandria’s Hopes for Stadium Deal Dashed
The city hoped a stadium for DC-area teams would anchor a new, high-density development in a vacant lot.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
