鈥� A plan facing a public hearing Wednesday before the Loveland Planning Commission would add up to 2,277 housing units in a 150-acre parcel of the Centerra South development in east Loveland.
According to an application by developer McWhinney Real Estate Services Inc., the additional units would result in a total of 3,357 residential units in 鈥淧arcel B鈥� 鈥� a number of properties on both sides of U.S. Highway 34 and west of Interstate 25.
McWhinney鈥檚 application seeks an amendment to the Millennium General Development Plan, which covers more than 3,000 acres of property in eastern portions of Loveland including the Promenade Shops at Centerra, east of I-25, and supports a mix of land uses, including residential, commercial, civic and industrial.
The amendment applies only to the 883 acres that are included within Parcel B. It includes a request for the extension of vested rights until Dec. 31, 2050, for all property within that parcel. The amendment requests the addition of the 2,277 residential units, but only in the 150-acre 鈥淪ubparcel B-13,鈥� a Centerra South property south of U.S. 34 that is bounded by Rocky Mountain Boulevard to the east, Hahn鈥檚 Peak Drive to the west and the Great Western Railroad tracks to the south.
McWhinney is requesting the allowance for single-family housing development within the Centerra South property, which supplements the existing allowance for multifamily housing there.
Robert Paulsen, Loveland鈥檚 acting development services director, told BizWest that 鈥渁ll those new units would have to go to Centerra South,鈥� leaving only nine for the rest of the 鈥淏鈥� segments.
The Planning Commission鈥檚 role is to conduct a public hearing and then forward a recommendation on the GDP amendment to the Loveland City Council for final determination. The city鈥檚 staff recommends approval of the GDP amendment.
An application letter sent to the city鈥檚 planning division by an attorney for McWhinney states that approval 鈥渨ill help ensure that development in Centerra South and the eastern part of the city, in general, protects the city鈥檚 unique character and high quality of life by facilitating thoughtful, well-orchestrated development of the area.
鈥淭his approval will facilitate the development of a lift station to serve the region, roadway improvements to U.S. 34, greater roadway connectivity, pedestrian improvements, a trail network, a high-paying primary employer, a grocery store, the construction of publicly available parks and other amenities, additional revenues for the High Plains Environmental Center, and new residential and commercial uses to enhance the city鈥檚 tax base,鈥� wrote Kate Madden, an attorney with Denver-based Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP. 鈥淎dditionally, it will allow for the development of the adjacent parcel to the east of Centerra South. Neither of the Applications include requests for added financial incentives from the city.鈥�
The future of Centerra South could still be affected by a lawsuit filed against the city by barbershop owner Bill Jensen over the previous City Council鈥檚 vote in May 2023 to approve an urban-renewal agreement for the proposed development. A unanimous three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals on Jan. 2 a Larimer District Court judge鈥檚 dismissal of that lawsuit.
Wednesday鈥檚 hearing will begin at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers, 500 E. Third St.
Dallas Heltzell is a reporter with BizWest and affiliate publication Breaking Ground. His work appears frequently online at . Contact Dallas at dheltzell@bizwest.com
