DENVER — After months of pushback from Belcaro Park residents against plans to rezone the Belcaro Shopping Center, it appears their voices are finally being heard.
The site’s developer, Denver-based Kentro Group, announced it is dropping its plans to rezone the seven-acre lot, located on 825 S. Colorado Blvd., after King Soopers relocates and the current shopping center is demolished.
It’s a rare win for the little guy in this David vs. Goliath tale.
The development would have brought three towers to the seven-acre property — creating 700 new units alongside mixed-use retail and green space, similar to the 9+Co development two miles north.
The tallest of the three towers was slated to be 12 stories high — a big cause for concern for Belcaro Park homeowners when they found out last November.
They immediately went to work, putting up signs and organizing community meetings.
The first meeting, said HOA president Susan Livingston, drew out over 100 concerned homeowners.
“They were pretty angry,” she said.
Denver7 heard some of those concerns Thursday.
“I immediately thought about, you know, my kids' safety, and what that kind of density and height meant for our block,” said homeowner Jori Hayes. “So the more people headed that way from high density on those little, tiny arteries felt, felt really scary.”
Denver7 reached out the Kentro Group to get their reaction after scrapping their plans.
In a statement, officials said they had "hoped to create a friendly neighborhood gathering spot with personality generated from new residents." Their full statement is below.
“With the proposed zoning change, we had hoped to create a friendly neighborhood gathering spot with personality generated from new residents mixed with retail, restaurants and services, and combined with green space that all could enjoy. But we listened with care to current neighbors who didn't prefer the additional zoning heights required to achieve this vision and decided not to pursue a zoning change. We remain committed to delivering a great project.”
Kentro Group co-founder Jimmy Balafas told Denver7 while they don't know what the site development will look like now, they are committed to listening to their fellow Denverites’ concerns.
“We listened to them and they listened to us. We were very persistent, so they had no choice but to listen,” said Livingston. “You don't get anything done in Denver if you're hostile, but if you are, you know, recognize that everybody's human, everybody likes to go home at the end of the day with a feeling of good, good relationships — then things work.”
Homeowners said they hope to continue working with the Kentro Group as they go back to the drawing board.
One thing’s for sure, though — it’ll be no more than three stories tall.
“We're very thankful,” said Livingston.
