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 The Aspen Grove shopping center at the northwest corner of Mineral Avenue and South Santa Fe Drive opened in 2001 and is home to numerous large and small businesses.
In 2021, Aspen Grove owners the Gerrity Group, filed an application with the City of Littleton to amend the property’s Planned Development (PD) zoning to allow for redevelopment into a mixed-use residential and commercial development.
Gerrity’s proposal requested approval of up to 2,500 residential dwelling units in buildings with a maximum allowable height of 85 feet. The proposal was sent to the city’s Planning Commission, which approved the request with a condition that the number of residential units be decreased to 2,000. The proposal was then sent to city council, which approved it in November 2021.
A citizens’ group circulated a petition to ask voters to consider the project. The petition received more than 3,700 signatures, qualifying it for the November 2022 ballot. This prompted city officials to suspend approval of Gerrity Group’s 2021 proposal until the election is held.
In October 2021, city council unanimously approved the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC), which modernizes Littleton’s land use and zoning. The ULUC created a new zone district in Littleton: Corridor Mixed Use (CMU), which allows mixed residential/commercial development along major transportation corridors including Santa Fe Drive, Broadway, Belleview Avenue, and part of Littleton Boulevard.
Under the terms of this new code that was developed over several years, Gerrity Group submitted a new Master Development Plan (MDP) for Aspen Grove in May 2022, with a greatly reduced proposal for 481 residential dwelling units and a maximum allowable height of 80 feet.
Click here to view the new MDP proposal.
The new proposal requests Planning Commission remove the site’s current PD zoning, which is a custom set of zoning rules, and allow the site to revert to the “underlying” CMU zoning created by the ULUC. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the request July 25.
If Planning Commission approves the request, Gerrity Group will have approval to build the newer proposal with fewer dwelling units. The ballot question arising from the citizen petition will remain on the ballot in November regardless of Planning Commission’s decision. If the Planning Commission approves the new MDP proposal, the results of the ballot question would be moot.
The ULUC, which created the new CMU zone district, was built on years of public outreach through the Envision Littleton process. Envision formed the foundation of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, ratified by city council in 2019.
The Envision process called for the creation of more than 6,500 new housing units in Littleton in coming decades to meet local and regional demand. The ULUC allows for greater housing density along transit corridors as opposed to established older neighborhoods.
Though the citizens’ petition regarding Aspen Grove garnered 3,700 signatures, the greater Littleton population has also spoken: both the Comprehensive Plan and ULUC were passed following an extensive public engagement process and unanimously approved by the city council, the elected representatives of the citizens.
Why does Littleton need more housing?
Housing prices in Littleton have climbed far faster than wages in recent decades. The 2020 revised housing study found that the number of young families in Littleton is declining in the face of high housing prices.
Read the revised housing study’s findings here.
Public outreach as part of the Envision process consistently found that residents are eager for their children and grandchildren to be able to live in Littleton and want a variety of housing options as their needs change.
While no single housing development can solve the broader issue of housing affordability regionally, adding housing inventory allows Littleton to continue to be a welcoming community.
What is the financial impact of this project?
Aspen Grove’s owners are interested in the long-term viability of their development. The retail environment has changed substantially since Aspen Grove was built 21 years ago. The shift to online shopping has left many brick-and-mortar retailers struggling.
Many shopping centers are looking at the prospect of incorporating residential units. There are many successful examples around the Denver area, including Southglenn in Centennial, and Belmar in Lakewood.
Residential development doesn’t pay for itself. Littleton draws the vast majority of its general fund revenue from sales tax, not property tax. But the city is interested in commercial development that is more sustainable and less subject to the ups-and-downs of the market.
How will this project affect traffic?
The intersection of Mineral Avenue and South Santa Fe Drive has caused drivers headaches for years. The City of Littleton is a key partner in the Santa Fe Drive Action Plan – A PEL Study, which is creating a series of projects to improve traffic conditions along Santa Fe.
Littleton is moving forward with plans to create a quad-road interchange at the intersection, which is projected to increase its capacity by up to 30% and decrease the length of the traffic backup at Mineral Avenue by more than 90%.
Read more about the Quad Road here.
The Aspen Grove development would be designed to give residents easy access to the Mineral Light Rail station.
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