There are many issues with amending the GV Comprehensive Plan and the massive 3.3 million square foot development that Alberta Development Partners proposed last summer. However, the biggest is density (no pun intended) because it will bring: 1) large increases in traffic (potentially 27,000 incremental car trips per day – twice a sold out Nuggets game) and 2) significant increases in building height (max of 5 stories today vs. 200 feet (the height of the Landmark) under the proposed Orchard Station Subarea.
I have heard people argue that the developer needs the increased density to generate an acceptable rate of return. The current zoning and Comp Plan governing Orchard Station already provide for significantly more development opportunity than Alberta has required in its other developments; suggesting there is more than enough opportunity to generate a reasonable return.
Alberta can currently develop just under 1.2 million of mixed-use square feet on its 24 acres in Orchard Station. That works out to current development capacity of 48,708 sqft per acre.
The HIGHEST DENSITY mall that Alberta has developed is the Simi Valley Town Center in California (based on information I found on its website). The Simi Valley Town Center is 637,728 square feet on 27.1 acres, which works out to 23,532 sqft per acre.
The current Comp Plan and Orchard Station zoning ALREADY allow for twice the density of Alberta’s highest density mall. Isn’t this enough?