FOUR SQUARE MILE SUB-AREA PLAN Amendment to the Arapahoe County Comprehensive Plan AMENDED MARCH 7, 2017 AMENDED NOVEMBER 15, 2016 - ADOPTED FEBRUARY 15, 2005 ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO FOUR SQUARE MILE AREA SUB-AREA PLAN AMENDMENT TO THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN APPROVED BY THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 15, 2005 AMENDED NOVEMBER 15, 2016 AMENDED MARCH 7, 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Participants 1-2 Background/History 1-8 Vision Statements, Goals & Implementation Strategies/Tools 1-10 APPENDIX Definitions 1-4 Land Use Designations 4-8 Resolution FOUR SQUARE MILE SUB-AREA PLAN PARTICIPANTS PLANNING COMMISSION Arnold Hayutin (Chairperson), Brenda Gallagher, Matthew Plitnick, Matthew Reay, Shannon Roth, Frank Doyle, Jack Sampson, and Kim Herzfeldt. FOUR SQUARE MILE PLANNING COMMITTEE The following Participants attended the intensive all-day planning workshops: Alex Vida, Randy Johnson, Don Prichett, Lois MacPhee, Keith Homburger, Trisha Hood, Don Hood, Richard Gross, J.M. Fay, Mark Lampert, Charlotte Szynskie, Sally Goldman, Vergil VerSteeg, John Ward, Jerry Attencio, Terry Hamilton, Ali Christine Flores-Dent, Devon Randall, Brett Blank, Roni Levin, Nancy Howell, Tim Behm, Raylene Owen, Jan Leonard, Bill Howard, Joan Byrne, Kenneth Ho, Sandi Yokooji, Susan Fantle, Karen Fiant, Ed Cutler, Sean Dotson, Cindy Slevin, Daniel Blum, and Gary Guinn. In addition, approximately 200 participants attended a variety of open houses and workshops. ARAPAHOE COUNTY PLANNING STAFF Sue Conaway, Planning Division Manager; Melissa Kendrick, Planning Program Manager; Julio Iturreria, Long-Range Planning Manager; Ron Hovland, Senior Planner; Sherman Feher, Senior Planner; Bill Skinner, Planner II; Carol Kuhn, Planner II; Carol McAllister, Duty Planner; Sandi Bowen, Planning Assistant II; Summer Smith, Planning Assistant I; Jennifer Newton, Planning Technician. ARAPAHOE COUNTY ENGINEERING STAFF Scott Wiggs, P.E., Land Development Services Engineer; Quang Nguyen, P.E., Stormwater Engineer ARAPAHOE COUNTY MAPPING STAFF Susan Powell, Harun Ahmed, Debbie Vaughn, and Leroy Crotts CUNNINGHAM FIRE DISTRICT Gregory Hard, Spencer Luft, and Chief Jerry Rhodes The Four Square Mile Area Background GEOGRAPHIC AREA The “Four Square Mile Area” is generally bounded by East Mississippi Avenue and the City and County of Denver on the north; South Dayton Street and the City of Aurora on the east; East Yale Avenue and South Syracuse Way, and the City and County of Denver on the south; and South Quebec Street and the City and County of Denver on the west. The area is bisected by South Parker Road (State Highway 83), controlled by the Colorado Department of Transportation, from the northwest to the southeast. The area is within the adopted DRCOG 2020 Urban Growth Boundary, and not subject to any imposed development density restrictions other than those imposed through the Arapahoe County Zoning Regulations. On July 20, 2004 the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners imposed a six-month moratorium on rezoning of property to facilitate the creation of the Four Square Mile Area Sub-Area Plan. The moratorium expired on January 20, 2005. The “Four Square Mile Area” is actually 2.622 square miles, or 1,678.0226 acres in total land area. The Year-2000 Census listed the area population as 14,054 persons. The area contains portions of the Cherry Creek Channel, Public Trail, and 100-year floodplain (67.506 acres) and the High Line Canal and Public Trail (19.159 acres). BACKGROUND 1 BACKGROUND The unincorporated Four Square Mile Area is a suburban island/ enclave surrounded on all sides by the Cities of Aurora and Denver. The City and County of Denver cannot annex any portion of the area based on a 1974 public vote (The Poundstone Amendment) changing the Colorado Constitution, and the City of Aurora has not shown any interest in the annexation of all or parts of the area. From the adoption of the first Arapahoe County Comprehensive Plan in 1972, through the 1985 plan and the most-recently adopted 2001 Comprehensive Plan, the Four Square Mile Area has been featured as an island of Arapahoe County, fully surrounded by two prominent municipal neighbors. The area has been subject to the same population growth and changing land use patterns as the rest of the western portion of the County. Population growth and new development shaped the area during the middle-1980’s and throughout the 1990’s. The 2000 census for the area was 14,054 persons. Current estimated population is 14,880 (April 1, 2004). While the area population has grown to suburban proportions, with approximately 5,360 persons per square mile across the 2.622 square mile area, large portions of the area still have a rural or semi-rural atmosphere. Dirt streets are common, farm animals, including horses and goats are common, and entire blocks remain on domestic water wells and septic systems. This condition exists side-by-side with multi-family residential densities of twenty to thirty dwelling units per acre. ZONING BACKGROUND The Four Square Mile Area was originally zoned by the County in 1961, as part of the original zoning of the western portion of Arapahoe County. There are 19 current zoning classifications and nine (9) obsolete zoning classifications in use in all of Arapahoe County. In the Four Square Mile Area, 16 of the 19 current zoning classifications and six BACKGROUND 2 (6) of the nine obsolete zoning classifications are in use within the 2.622 square mile area. Much of the zoning now in use in the Four Square Mile Area is not consistent with the underlying land uses(s), both conforming and non-conforming land uses, the minimum lot sizes, nor the adopted Comprehensive Plan. Much of the zoning has not changed since the 1961 adoption, even when the land uses have changed within that respective location and zone classification. Additionally there are Preliminary Development Plans (PDP) going back to 1970 and 1985 on twelve parcels that have not been built and may be out-dated and inappropriate for the properties today. The parcels have been through two economic cycles and remain undeveloped. The area has Light Industrial (I-1) and Heavy Industrial (I-2) zoning, Commercial (B-1 and B-3), and agricultural zoning on the Cherry Creek Channel and the High Line Canal Trail. There are single-family residential zone classifications that contain farm animals and more than one dwelling unit per parcel. A reduction of the current zoning map for the Four Square Mile Area is a part of the Sub- Area Plan appendix section. DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND Construction of multi-family dwellings in the Four Square Mile area began in the early 1970’s and has continued to the present. There are over 7,800 multi-family dwelling units in ownership or rental orientation within the area. This is similar to the land use patterns and development in this portion of both Denver and Aurora. Single-family dwellings are spread throughout the area and are representative of a broad- spectrum of size and price range. While there are no public schools in the area, there are three private schools and seven churches. Commercial land uses include retail, service and office. Industrial uses such as mini- storage and heavy industrial and outdoor storage represents approximately 2,304,200 square feet of building area and 39.9 acres of outdoor storage of goods and equipment. BACKGROUND 3 The rapid growth of the area during the past two decades, and the addition of high numbers of multi-family development provided the impetus and public funding to implement a meaningful Capital Improvements Program for stormwater drainage and public street construction in the area. THE FOUR SQUARE MILE AREA AND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The Four Square Mile Area, from the adoption of the original 1972 Arapahoe County Comprehensive Plan, has been featured as an island or enclave of Arapahoe County. The area has been subject to the same changing land use patterns and population growth as the rest of western Arapahoe County, and was generally shaped during the middle-1980’s and throughout the 1990’s by new suburban development attracted to the area located between two major and growing cities. THE 1985 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The Four Square Mile Area was described in the 1985 Comprehensive Plan as “a complex mixture of residential, commercial, industrial and public/ quasi-public uses”. The plan specified two areas, First, the “Parker Triangle” (northeast of Parker Road, from Dayton Street to East Mississippi Avenue) as “rapidly developing to its maximum allowed Multifamily densities, making the lack of adequate streets and drainage facilities critical”. The second specific area, the “Cherry Creek Valley” (north and south of East Iliff Avenue, adjacent to Cherry Creek, southwest of the High Line Canal), was developing with office and industrial uses along Cherry Creek, and multifamily uses south of East Iliff Avenue and west of Cherry Creek. The 1985 Comprehensive Plan paid special attention to the Four Square Mile Area and considered five area issues to be “long-standing and complex”. These issues were: 1. Presently inadequate arterials and interior streets, drainage facilities, and recreation opportunities for the land uses and densities now being developed; BACKGROUND 4 2. Neighborhood concerns about quality of life as taller apartment and commercial buildings are zoned adjacent to their homes; 3. The impacts of a Cherry Creek Parkway being constructed. This potential arterial is now being studied by an area-wide Task Force; (the street was dropped based on public input); 4. Coordination of plans with adjacent Aurora and Denver; and 5. Equitable financing of all the improvements necessary for developing the area. (Page 31) One policy from the 1985 plan stated: “The County should recognize the characteristics that make the ‘Four Square Mile Area’ distinctive from the balance of the West Planning Area, and review development proposals for that transitioning area with concern for its issues and opportunities”.