Three Highland lots on North Mariposa Street could be rezoned for townhomes Monday. One of them now allows five stories
The owners want to combine a house lot zoned for five stories with two vacant lots zoned for two-unit homes, and rezone all three for buildings up to three stories. The Council holds the required public hearing Nov. 2.
On Monday, Nov. 2, the Denver City Council holds a public hearing and final vote on rezoning three small lots at 3343, 3345 and 3351 N. Mariposa St. in the Highland neighborhood, between 33rd and 34th avenues (agenda).
The bill is 26-1406. It would rezone the lots to U-RX-3, a district that allows townhouses and shopfront buildings up to three stories, with a maximum height of 38 to 45 feet, according to the city's staff report.
Why it matters to neighbors: this is one of those rezonings that goes both up and down. One lot would lose height it is allowed now, and two would gain it.
What's there now
The three lots total about 9,150 square feet, or about a fifth of an acre, the staff report says.
- 3343 N. Mariposa St. has a two-story house and is zoned C-MX-5, a mixed-use district that allows up to five stories.
- 3345 and 3351 N. Mariposa St. are vacant and zoned U-TU-B2 with a design overlay (DO-4), which allows single-unit and two-unit homes.
The owners say a five-story building would be hard to develop on the 3343 lot alone, and that combining the three lots under one zone could create a step down from the bigger buildings near I-25 to the houses to the west, according to the staff report.
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Around the site, the report lists a three-story apartment building to the north, a vacant lot to the south with a five-story apartment building pending, mixed-use retail and apartments to the east, and one-story houses to the west. RTD's Route 19 runs a block away on Navajo Street, every 30 minutes.
What the city's plans say
City planners recommended approval. The report says the change is consistent with Blueprint Denver and with the Near Northwest Area Plan, which the Council adopted in January 2024 for Chaffee Park, Sunnyside, Highland and Jefferson Park. That plan's height guidance calls for both 2.5 stories and five stories on these lots, the report says.
What our records add
The path so far. According to the staff report and the matter record:
- May 22: The city notified neighbors, registered neighborhood organizations and Council offices that it had received the application.
- Sept. 16: The Planning Board recommended approval.
- Sept. 29: The Community Planning and Housing Committee sent the bill to the full Council 6-0. Voting yes were Flor Alvidrez, Shontel Lewis, Council President Diana Romero Campbell, Amanda Sandoval, Amanda Sawyer and Jamie Torres. Paul Kashmann was absent (roll call).
- Oct. 13: The Council ordered the bill published, which sets up Monday's hearing.
Public comments. The city had received a letter of support from Highland United Neighbors, the area's registered neighborhood organization, and 10 comments from the public: seven submitted in support through the application and three by email, the staff report says. The comments are posted with the record (comments as of Sept. 24).
Whose district. The lots are in District 1, represented by Sandoval.
What's next
- Monday, Nov. 2: Public hearing and final vote, in the Council's evening session (agenda). Residents can sign up to speak through the City Council's website.
- A rezoning does not approve a building. If it passes, any project would still need zoning and building permits. Projects with more than two homes would need a Site Development Plan, which starts with a concept review, according to city agency comments in the staff report.