The developer of a parcel of land behind the Home Depot and Target in Longmont is asking that it be rezoned.
Macy Development Company, based in Denver, is the applicant for the rezoning and concept plan of the property that sits on the northeast corner of Dry Creek Drive and Lykins Gulch Road. If approved by Longmont City Council on Tuesday, the 3.82 acre parcel would be rezoned from Mixed Use Regional Center, or MU-R, to Mixed Use Employment, or MU-E.
The parcel has Home Depot to the east, Target to the south and an undeveloped portion of the Fairgrounds Marketplace property to the north, all zoned MU-R. The Nova West multifamily residential, zoned MU-E, is under construction to the west.
MU-R allows for land uses geared toward large format retail, restaurants and similar entertainment uses, with secondary uses like offices, high density retail and other supporting nonresidential employment uses.
“However, the size and orientation of this property with large format retail directly to the east and south, and limited visibility to nearby thoroughfares Hover Street and Nelson Road, makes it challenging to find a user able to develop a use consistent with what is permitted in the regional center zone,” the council communication document said.
In June 2021, the applicant proposed a 32,700 square foot industrial/flex space building on the property, but staff found that the proposal was not consistent with the current zoning. Instead of revising the proposal, the applicant pursued a zone change that would allow for the originally proposed concept.
The Envision Longmont Comprehensive Plan designates this property as a Regional Center, meaning any changes to the zoning would trigger a comprehensive plan amendment.
On Sept. 21, the city’s planning and zoning commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of these changes. City council will decide Tuesday whether to approve a rezone and the required comprehensive plan amendment, along with the concept plan amendment for the property.
