The Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission approved an amendment at Prospect New Town that will allow for the development of 180 units, including apartments and duplexes.
The amendment is for Prospect’s fourth filing on the 4.8-acre site west of Main Street and south of Pike Road.
Except for a small sliver of land just north of this filing, which is currently going through the planning process, this parcel is the remainder of the Prospect New Town development that began in the ‘90s. It was the state’s first “new urbanist” development, which aims to create walkable, mixed-used neighborhoods within distance of residential lots.
“They’re trying to stick to that original vision for this project as a new urbanist development with a mix of uses, walkability, trying to make the pedestrian equal to the vehicle and trying to allow for the amount of open space that is available to the people that already live there,” Longmont Planning Manager Don Burchett said.
In 2003, the site was approved for 74 dwellings and 80,000 square feet of commercial space, but the amendment approved last week reduces the commercial space to 16,288 square feet to make room for a total of 180 dwelling units.
Tetra Tech Senior Planner Pam Hora, representing applicant and owner Peter Shaheen of Shaheen Development, explained that the change was needed to ensure there were enough nearby residences to support the commercial businesses.
The amendment creates three four-story apartment buildings, all with parking garages and commercial space, for a total of 168 units with one or two bedrooms. There will also be 12 duplex units on the west side of the lot to create a buffer between the apartments and the single-family homes beyond the lot.
The design follows the architectural requirements for the Prospect neighborhood and features a large community open space as well.
During the neighbor input process, concerns were raised about the compatibility of the structures in the area, traffic and parking. According to Hora, the amendment actually reduces the number of daily traffic trips the previously approved plan would have created and, as designed, the development will have more parking spots than required by the city.
The planning and zoning commission passed the amendment unanimously.
